The Melaswen Paradox
by andredimera
Summary: An ongoing drama/comedy based on the characters of Days of Our Lives. Andre DiMera is back in town, and nothing will ever be the same again. He's not the only one who's back, as Bo Brady has returned after disappearing for three years. The story begins in 2015, on the night of Hope and Aiden's wedding, and continues up to the present day.
1. Prelude 1 - Enter Andre

Several Months Ago

DIMERA MANSION  
A few days after Stefano had to be put in a wheelchair. André walks in the front door, just as Harold passes.  
HAROLD: Excuse me, do I know you?  
André smirks, and walks up to Harold so that he can speak into his ear.  
ANDRE: No, and you'll never get the pleasure to if you don't get out of my way. You see, I find that I am uncharacteristically late for a meeting with my dear Uncle Stefano, who I hear is in poor health. So, unless you wish this to be your last day at the office, you'll take me to see him.  
HAROLD: Um, right this way.  
Harold led André into the parlor, where Stefano is on the phone.  
STEFANO: Pick up, damn it. I told you to get here, soon! Now, where the devil are you?  
ANDRE: Speak of the devil...  
André walked up behind Stefano.  
ANDRE: ...and he shall appear.  
Stefano closed the phone, and sighed with relief.  
STEFANO: Ah, André.  
Stefano looked to Harold.  
STEFANO: Leave us.  
Harold walked out.  
STEFANO: André...how good it is to see you, my boy.  
ANDRE: You as well, uncle. Now, tell me, why was I summoned here on such short notice?  
STEFANO: It had to be short notice, my boy. There is no guarantee on how much time I have left.  
ANDRE: Oh, don't be silly, uncle. You're Stefano DiMera, the Phoenix. Besides, you, if anyone should know that the DiMera's never truly die.  
STEFANO: Yes, yes. But, I am afraid that the embers have nearly gone out for this Phoenix.  
ANDRE: What have the doctor's said?  
STEFANO: Oh, you know doctors. They speak their mumbo jumbo, they run their tests, but it does not mean a thing, because I am nearing the end of my life.  
ANDRE: Oh, please. You have decades left. I'll get Rolf to take a look at you.  
STEFANO: That would be wonderful. However, Rolf is no longer in my service.  
André smirked.  
ANDRE: No, but he is in mine.  
Stefano sighed.  
STEFANO: It is not just a medical condition that is killing me. I'll tell you something, my boy, it is my children that have killed me. Or, should I say, the loss of my children. Think of it this way, all of my children are gone. Alexandra, Elvis...Kristen. My only living child, Chad, has betrayed me. Which is why I need you. You have been summoned here because I need you to keep the DiMera name alive.  
André knelt in front of Stefano and took his hand.  
ANDRE: Uncle, you have no idea how long I have dreamed of this moment. It will be an honor to continue what you started.  
STEFANO: I knew you wold be pleased. However, there is something I need you to do, first. And I am particularly glad that you have brought Rolf back with you.  
ANDRE: What do you need?  
STEFANO: Obviously, nobody will accept that you have turned over a new leaf just because you say you have. You will have to lie low for a while until Dr. Rolf and I can make sure everything goes according to plan.  
ANDRE: And what exactly is your plan?  
STEFANO: I need you to become my son.  
André stood.  
ANDRE: Uncle, I've devoted over half of my life to becoming Tony. Nobody will ever believe that I'm the real him again, all they'd have to do is call Anna to prove it. Besides that, Tony's dead.  
STEFANO: Calm yourself, André. You will not become Antony in that sense.  
ANDRE: Explain.  
STEFANO: If all goes according to plan, and Dr. Rolf can do what I need him to do, you and Antony shall become one.  
André and Stefano had met up with Dr. Rolf in the basement of the DiMera Mansion. André is wearing a hospital gown.  
ANDRE: So, explain this plan to me, Rolf. What did Stefano mean that Tony and I shall become one?  
ROLF: If ze operation iz successful...  
ANDRE: If?! "If" is not good enough, Rolf! I am not going to put my life on the line for an "if". You've gotta give me something more substantial than that!  
ROLF: I mean, when ze operation iz successful, your mind and Antony's shall be one.  
Rolf picked up a jar with a brain in it, and showed it to André.  
ROLF: When Antony vaz first pronounced dead, your uncle had me come in, remove his brain, and keep it in storage here, just in case we needed it for zomething in ze future.  
ANDRE: So, Tony really is dead, then?  
STEFANO: Yes, he is. He met with the wrong end of Philip Kiriakis.  
André examined the brain in the jar and chuckled.  
ANDRE: Couldn't have happened to a more deserving man.  
Rolf put the brain back in the freezer.  
ROLF: As I vaz saying, your brain and Antony's shall be fused together. Antony may be dead, but we froze his brain before there was any permanent damage.  
ANDRE: So, when you fuse my brain to his, will I still be in control?  
ROLF: Of course. We will have D.N.A. tests that show you are Stefano's biological child. As, in a sense, you will be.  
ANDRE: Oh, uncle, I had always hoped that this day would come. The day that I am finally accepted as the child you always wanted.  
STEFANO: Yes, it is wonderful. But it is not "uncle" anymore. From now on, I am your father.  
ANDRE: Of course. I've claimed you are for so long that having it be true will just be icing on the cake.  
STEFANO: Rolf, take me upstairs, I am growing tired. Come back for me when it is finished.  
ROLF: Yes, Stefano.  
Rolf took Stefano upstairs, then came back down.  
ROLF: Are you comfortable?  
ANDRE: As comfortable as I can be when I'm about to have my brain molded to that of my sainted cousin, I mean, brother. Let's just get this over with so that I can be Stefano's son for real.

Several Hours Later

Stefano was sitting in the parlor. Dr. Rolf knocked on the door.  
STEFANO: Come in.  
He walked in.  
STEFANO: Rolf, how did it go?  
ROLF: Well, it vaz very difficult at times. Zere were moments when I did not think he would make it.  
STEFANO: Just cut through the overdramatics, okay? I want to know if he's okay, or not.  
ROLF: Yes, he iz. Ze operation was a complete success. André and Antony are now one.  
STEFANO: Excellent. Send him up here.  
Rolf bowed.  
ROLF: As you vish.  
Dr. Rolf walked away. Moments later, André walked up the stairs, wearing a dashing three-piece suit.  
ANDRE: Hello, father.  
STEFANO: André, my dear boy, you look wonderful.  
ANDRE: Yes, thank you. It is good be back.  
Stefano attempted to get up, but André went over to him and sat him back down.  
ANDRE: No, please, don't get up. Save your strength.  
André kissed Stefano on the head, then knelt down, taking one of Stefano's hands in his.  
STEFANO: André, as you know, we might not have much time.  
ANDRE: So you keep telling me. That is the very reason that I returned. So, when do I get to reveal my miraculous return to the good people of Salem?  
STEFANO: Not just yet. There is a matter that I need you to attend to, first.  
ANDRE: Anything you ask, father.

FARMHOUSE – REDDICK, FLORIDA  
Clyde had been able to escape prison in Florida, and was now on the run. He was in a rural part of Florida, where there were mostly farms. He was coming in from tending to some cows. He came in the door, and turned on the lights. He was surprised to see André sitting in his chair, reading the newspaper.  
ANDRE: Oh, good, you're home. I was wondering how long you'd be out.  
CLYDE: Who the hell are you? What are you doin' in my house?  
André took off his reading glasses, put down the newspaper, and stood.  
ANDRE: I have a message for you, Mr. Weston.  
CLYDE: I asked you a question. I said, who the hell are you?  
André put a finger to his lips.  
ANDRE: Ssh. There's no need to shout, Mr. Weston. I'm standing right here and I can hear you just perfectly.  
André chuckled.  
ANDRE: Besides, even if you did shout, there's nobody around to hear you.  
CLYDE: What do you want?  
ANDRE: Good lord, you are as dense as father said you were, I just told you, I have a message for you.  
André bent over the chair he had been sitting in, and dug into the cushion. He pulled out his katana.  
CLYDE: Are you threatenin' me?  
André chuckled again.  
ANDRE: Oh, I don't make threats.  
CLYDE: You think you can kill me? Well, here's some news for you, you can't! I'm Clyde Weston, and I'm indestructible! Many a man has tried to kill me. What makes you think you'll be any different?  
ANDRE: Oh, you think you're indestructible, eh? Well, I've got some unfortunate news for you, Mr. Weston. You're deluding yourself. There is only one indestructible man to walk this earth...me. The Black Phoenix.  
CLYDE: Phoenix? I've heard that name before. You're one of his men, aren't you?  
ANDRE: No, worse. I'm his son.  
CLYDE: What, daddy couldn't handle me himself so he sent out you to take care of me, junior?  
André wrapped his arm around Clyde. The blade of the katana was to Clyde's neck.  
ANDRE (whispering): Never call me "junior" again.  
CLYDE: You're makin' a big mistake, pal. Never bring a knife to a gun fight.  
Clyde reached for the gun in his pocket. André tightened his grip, and chuckled.  
ANDRE: Oh, but I didn't. I brought a sword.  
André sliced his katana through Clyde's neck. Clyde fell to the ground, dead. André reached into his shirt pocket, brought out a handkerchief, and wiped the blood off of the blade.  
ANDRE: Stefano DiMera sends his regards.

DIMERA JET  
A few hours later, André was on a private DiMera jet. He is on the phone with Stefano.  
ANDRE: It has been done.  
STEFANO (over phone): Excellent. Now, when you come home, sneak in the front door. I will be in a meeting. It must look like I do not know you are arriving.  
ANDRE: Oh, I'm well aware of the plan. I'll be seeing you soon, father.  
André hung up the phone, smiled, and laughed.

DIMERA MANSION  
Stefano hung up the phone. Rolf walked in.  
ROLF: I assume everything went according to plan?  
STEFANO: Of course. André was always my most faithful soldier. And now, he is my most faithful son.  
Rolf nodded.  
STEFANO: Now, Dr. Rolf, it is wonderful having you here. However, you must make yourself...  
ROLF: Scarce? Yes, I know. André informed me of this when we arrived. I shall retire to my lab. But, you may, of course, contact me at any time.  
STEFANO: Good. Good.  
Rolf went downstairs.

Hours later...

Stefano was talking to one of his goons.  
STEFANO: Bring him in through the tunnels. He must not be seen. Everything must go according to plan.  
ANDRE: And what would that be?  
André walked in, surprising the goon.  
STEFANO (faux surprise): André? Dear god! What are you doing here? I told you never to come back to Salem!  
André smiled. The goon had bought it, hook, line and sinker. Now, it was time to have some fun.


	2. Prelude 2 - My Dinner with Andre

DIMERA MANSION  
André was in his Zen Room. He was meditating. He stood, took a deep breath, and grabbed a machete from the wall. He unsheathed it, and went through several complex motions with it. He put the sheath back over it, just as he heard a knock at the door. He put the sword back on the wall, and opened the door.  
ANDRE: Yes?  
HAROLD: Your dinner is ready, sir.  
André smirked.  
ANDRE: Excellent.  
André quickly changed back into a tree-piece suit, and entered the dining room. Chad sat at one end of the table. André took his seat at the other end.  
ANDRE: So glad you could join me.  
CHAD: Why exactly was I summoned here?  
ANDRE: Father thinks that we need to get to know one another. I surmised that this would be the best way, as, of course, man must eat to stay healthy.  
He smirked again. Chad rolled his eyes. Harold brought out the food, and both men filled their plates and began to eat.  
ANDRE: I'm sure you have questions.  
CHAD: I do. Number one is this: before a few weeks ago, have we ever met?  
ANDRE: No, I'm sorry to say, we have not.  
CHAD: Really? See, right there, I can tell you're lying.  
André smiled.  
ANDRE: And, how is that?  
CHAD: Because we have met. When I first came to town. Only, you weren't using the name André back then. Back then, your name was Tony! And you died!  
ANDRE: No, I didn't. Tony did.  
CHAD: So, what are you? His identical twin, or something?  
ANDRE: For all intents and purposes, yes. Tony and I do look identical. Or, we would, if Tony had not met that terrific...I mean tragic...fate on the Pier.  
CHAD: Okay. Question number two: why are you here?  
ANDRE: I don't know if you're aware of this, Chad, but father is not well. No matter how hard he may try to hide it from you, I can tell. I came here under his instruction, to finish what he started. To continue on his legacy.  
CHAD: And what exactly did father start?  
ANDRE: All in good time, Chad. This is another reason why father thought we should have dinner.  
CHAD: What do you mean?  
ANDRE: You need to learn. Not only patience, but how to be a true DiMera. He would teach you himself, but he's afraid that he hasn't got much time left.  
CHAD: How can that be? I've heard stories of how he raises from the dead. Father is the Phoenix.  
André chuckled.  
CHAD: What?  
ANDRE: Oh, how cute. You actually think father is immortal. Stefano may have made a lucky escape from death many times, but let me assure you, Chad, that there is only one DiMera who can never really die. And it isn't father.  
CHAD: So, you're saying that father isn't the Phoenix?  
ANDRE: No, he's a Phoenix. He may be a Phoenix, but he's not the one true Phoenix.  
CHAD: Then, who is?  
André said nothing, as he picked up his glass to take a drink. But, he took particular care to make sure that Chad saw a ring on his finger. The one with the Phoenix emblem on it.  
ANDRE: You know, I think we should have dinner together like this more often. Perhaps once a week.  
CHAD: Why? So you can seduce me one meal at a time?  
André chuckled.  
ANDRE: Oh, Chad. Don't think you have that kind of celebrity status.  
When dinner was finished, André stood.  
ANDRE: Come with me.  
CHAD: Where?  
ANDRE: To begin your training, of course.  
André led Chad to the Zen Room. They quickly changed out of their suits and into some more comfortable clothes. André took his sword off the wall. He got another one from a box in the corner of the room.  
ANDRE: Tell me, Chad, while father spent that year grooming you, did he ever train you in martial arts? Fencing? Maybe sword fighting?  
CHAD: No.  
Chad looked very confused as André handed him a sword.  
ANDRE: Then this is where the fun begins.  
André unsheathed his sword and chuckled.


	3. Chapter 1

MARTIN HOUSE  
Caroline was the only person left from the party. This had been the night of the Salem Bicentennial Gala, and the night of Hope and Aiden's wedding. Caroline had stayed there to start cleaning up. She wasn't alone for long, however. The humming of a motorcycle was heard, and slowly came to a stop, and was quickly followed by hurried footsteps.  
BO: Hope!  
Bo ran in.  
CAROLINE: Bo!  
BO: Ma!  
Bo ran over to Caroline and gave her a big hug.  
BO: Ma! Oh, ma, it's so good to see you!  
CAROLINE: Oh, it's good to see you, too.  
BO: Where is everybody? I thought that Hope was getting married tonight.  
CAROLINE: She was. Bo, I tried my best to stop that wedding. I really did.  
BO: I know, ma. I know. It's okay. So...so let me get this straight. Hope is married? How can that be? She and I are still married!  
CAROLINE: No, you're not. She filed for divorce.  
BO: I never got any divorce papers.  
CAROLINE: Bo, where have you been?  
BO: I'll explain all that later, ma. Right now, I have to find my wife. Do you have any idea where she is?  
CAROLINE: She went back home.  
BO: Okay. Thanks, ma. I'll stop in tomorrow and tell you everything, I promise.  
Bo kissed Caroline on the forehead.  
BO: It's so good to see you.  
CAROLINE: You too. Hurry! Good luck!  
Bo ran out the door and jumped on his motorcycle.

BRADY HOUSE  
This was the night Hope and Aiden had been waiting for. The big night. Their wedding night. They had just come home from their wedding. Ciara and Chase were staying at Jennifer's. Aiden had said that he had to get something, so he went upstairs. He found the chest where he had hidden the supplies he was going to use, and opened it. He put the necktie in his hands. Then, he stopped.  
AIDEN (whispering): No.  
He put the necktie down.  
AIDEN: No, I can't do this. This is crazy. There has to be another way. There's always another way.  
Quickly, he closed the chest and stood.  
AIDEN: I can't do this. I could never kill anybody, especially not Hope. No matter what those damn DiMera's have on me, I can't do this.  
Aiden came running down the stairs.  
AIDEN: Hope!  
Hope had been sitting on the couch, but stood up at Aiden as he got to the bottom of the stairs. There were tears in his eyes.  
AIDEN: I can't do this.  
HOPE: Aiden, what's going on?  
AIDEN: I can't do this. I can't do this.  
Aiden put his arms around Hope.  
AIDEN: I'm so sorry, Hope. I'm so sorry. I can't do this.  
HOPE: Aiden, what is it? What's wrong?  
Aiden took a deep breath and tried to collect himself.  
AIDEN: I...Hope, I have something I need to tell you.  
Aiden sat down on the couch next to Hope.  
AIDEN: I'm...I'm in trouble. I'm in really big trouble, and I don't know how to get out of it.  
HOPE: Okay. What kind of trouble?  
AIDEN: You know those gambling debts that I told you about?  
HOPE: Yeah.  
AIDEN: Well...I wasn't completely honest with you. They were gambling debts. But, they got paid off.  
HOPE: Isn't that good?  
AIDEN: In most cases, it would be. In this case, no. In fact, in this case, I would rather have to deal with the loan sharks than who I have to deal with now.  
HOPE: Aiden, who paid off your debts?  
AIDEN: Stefano DiMera.  
HOPE: What?!  
AIDEN: He said that he would pay off my debts in exchange for a few favors. One of which was to be Chad's lawyer. And the other one...  
HOPE: The other one what? Aiden, what does Stefano want you to do?  
Aiden took a deep breath.  
AIDEN: In exchange for paying off my gambling debts...he wants me to kill you.

SALEM P.D.  
Lani knocked on Roman's door.  
ROMAN: Enter.  
She walked into Roman's office.  
ROMAN: Officer Price, what can I do for you?  
LANI: Well, Commissioner, I was out doing my rounds, and I was giving a ticket for reckless driving. The guy was doing well over the speed limit. I tried to speak with him, but he was beligerent and said something about getting home to his wife. So, I felt that the right call to make was to bring him down here.  
ROMAN: That's a little extreme, isn't it?  
LANI: Actually, he's the one who gave me the idea. He says that he knows you. He's in one of the interrogation rooms.  
Roman put down his pencil.  
ROMAN: Okay. I'll check him out.  
Roman stood and followed Lani into one of the rooms.  
ROMAN: Now, what seems to be the...  
BO: Hey, bro.  
Roman's mouth fell open.  
ROMAN: Bo?  
BO: Yep, it's me. I'm back.  
ROMAN: Officer Price, would you please excuse us? I think I've got it taken care of from here.  
LANI: Certainly.  
Lani left the room. Roman took a deep breath.  
ROMAN: Okay, I got questions. Number one is this: what da hell are you doin' here?  
BO: I told you, I'm back. I'm home. Or, at least, I would be home right now if your brilliant officer hadn't arrested me.  
ROMAN: According to Officer Price's report, you were doing 96 in a 40 zone.  
BO: I was in a hurry.  
ROMAN: Stand up.  
Bo stood.  
ROMAN: Now, the second thing I wanna say to you is...  
Roman gave Bo a hug.  
ROMAN: It is so good to see you again, little brother.  
BO: You too, Roman. Now, can I get outta here? I gotta get home to my wife.  
ROMAN: Wife? Bo, I'm sorry to tell you, you don't have a wife anymore. Hope filed for divorce over a year ago.  
BO: Yeah, that's what you, Steve and ma keep telling me. What I wanna know is, how could she have divorced me? I never got any papers, and I sure as hell didn't sign them.  
ROMAN: Well, enough time passed that you didn't have to.  
BO: Yeah. So, now she's supposedly with some other guy. Waylon Jenny, or something?  
ROMAN: Aiden Jennings. He's a lawyer. A good one, too.  
BO: I don't really care how good he is, I just wanna go back to my wife. So, do you think we can finish up this talk another time?  
Roman sighed.  
ROMAN: Well, maybe I'm just in a good mood for seeing you for the first time in three years, but I'm gonna let you off with a warning this time. But, don't let me catch you speeding again.  
BO: You got it, bro. I'll see ya later.  
Bo got up and left.

BRADY HOUSE  
HOPE: They want you to kill me?  
AIDEN: Yes. And, I was going to frame the necktie killer to do it.  
HOPE: What?  
AIDEN: But then, I couldn't. Hope, I could never kill you. Never. I love you.  
HOPE: I love you, too.  
AIDEN: So...what now?  
HOPE: Now, we figure out a plan.  
AIDEN: What do you mean?  
HOPE: This is exactly what I've been waiting for: a chance to bring down the DiMera's. With everything you've just told me, I think we've actually got them this time.  
AIDEN: But aren't you afraid the DiMera's will come after you?  
HOPE: Aiden, I've been tackling the DiMera's for over half of my life. I'm used to them by now. Besides, we can't let them get away with what they did to you, and what they almost had you do to me. We're going to get them this time.  
AIDEN: You know something, Detective Brady? I love you.  
HOPE: Well, that's a strange coincidence, because it just so happens that I love you too, Mr. Jennings.  
Hope and Aiden hugged and kissed.  
AIDEN: Okay. Let's not spend our wedding night worrying about the DiMera's. I'm gonna go upstairs and burn the clothes I was gonna use to frame whoever the real necktie killer is.  
HOPE: Sounds good.  
Aiden went upstairs, and Hope went back to the couch. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.  
HOPE: I'll get it!  
The knocks came again, more hurridly, as Hope got up to answer the door.  
HOPE: Coming! I'm coming!  
Hope opened the door. Before she knew it, Bo had come in and planted a kiss on her.  
BO: Hey, Fancy Face. I'm home.  
HOPE: Wha...But...How...Bo?!  
BO: Yeah, it's me. I'm back. Didja miss me?  
Just then, Aiden came down the stairs.  
AIDEN: Hope, who is it?  
Bo looked from Hope to Aiden, back to Hope.  
BO: Never mind who I am, who the hell are you?


	4. Chapter 2

BRADY HOME  
Aiden finished coming down the stairs, and stood next to Hope.  
AIDEN: Aiden Jennings. And, who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?  
Aiden held out his hand. Bo ignored him. Sensing that he would get no handshake, Aiden put his hand back down.  
BO: I'm Bo Brady, Hope's husband.  
AIDEN: Ah, I see. Well, I hate to tell you this, Bo...may I call you Bo?  
BO: No.  
AIDEN: Either way, I'm Hope's husband.  
BO: Which is impossible.  
HOPE: No, it isn't. We got divorced, Brady.  
BO: We can't have. I never got any papers, and I certainly didn't sign any.  
HOPE: There was a long enough period to where you didn't have to.  
BO: And another thing, why would you divorce me?  
HOPE: Oh, let's think for a moment, maybe because you abandoned me and Ciara.  
BO: Fancy Face, this really isn't what it seems to be. I assumed that I'd be gone a few weeks, a month at most.  
HOPE: And somehow, that month turned into three years. Three years where we had no idea where you were. Three years where I had to try to explain to our daughter why her daddy wouldn't be home to tuck her in at night. Three years.  
BO: Look, you think I don't know that? You think I don't regret every single second that I had to be away from you two?  
HOPE: Look, I can't deal with this right now. We will talk about this, all three of us. But, not tonight. Aiden and I just got married. I think it's best that you go.

DIMERA MANSION  
André sat in his Zen Room, meditating. His meditation was disturbed by a knock on the door. He got up and opened it to reveal Harold.  
ANDRE: I trust you know how to read. Did you not see the sign on the door?  
HAROLD: Of course I did, Mr. DiMera. I must sincerely apologize for disturbing you. However, you did request that I alert you when I am preparing Stefano's evening tea.  
André looked down and saw that Harold was carrying a tray with tea on it.  
ANDRE: Very good. Set it down. I shall deliver it in person.  
HAROLD: As you wish, sir.  
Harold set down the tray, bowed, and left the room. André quickly changed into a three piece suit, picked up the tray, examined it, and went into the main room of the mansion, where Stefano sat in his wheelchair.  
ANDRE: Here we are, father. Your evening tea.  
STEFANO: Tea, tea. Always tea. Whatever happened to having a nice brandy or Merlow in the evening hours, hm?  
André shook his head as he put the tray down.  
ANDRE: No, I'm sorry, father. But, you know what the doctors said. It's tea until you get your strength back.  
STEFANO: Doctors, ha! What do those quacks know, anyway?  
ANDRE: Ordinarily, I'd agree. But, in this case, I can see their point. You do seem to be growing weaker. Which, after all, is why you asked me back here. To take care of you, as well as the business.  
STEFANO: Yes, yes. You are a good son. Even though for years we thought you were my nephew, I have always wanted a son like you, André.  
ANDRE: And I have always looked up to you as a father. You taught me everything I know.  
André took Stefano's hand in his and patted it.  
STEFANO: Now, where is Chad? I have not seen him here lately.  
ANDRE: Oh, I assume he's off with Abigail Deveraux, working on part of the plan. I shouldn't worry about him.  
André, who had been preparing Stefano's tea for the last minute, handed Stefano a cup.  
ANDRE: There we are. Now, if you'll excuse me, father, I'm off to continue with my meditations.  
STEFANO: Yes, quite. I shall have Harold take this when I've finished.  
André kissed Stefano on the forehead, went back to the Zen Room, and changed back into his robes. He walked to a part of the room that had a secret door, which he opened revealing Chad, also in robes, lying on the floor.  
ANDRE: Get up.  
André nudged Chad.  
ANDRE: Get up.  
Chad woke up. André handed him a sword, and then unsheathed his own.  
ANDRE: Are you ready to continue your training?  
CHAD: André...I've been training for 12 hours straight. I can barely stand.  
ANDRE: Death does not wait for you to be ready.  
Chad attempts to stand, but André quickly has him on the ground again.  
ANDRE: Death knows no kindness or patience. And make no mistake, little brother, when you train with me, you face death.

GRAVEYARD  
J.J. walked along in a graveyard, his guitar on his back and a small bouquet of flowers in his hand. He walked up to a stone, and stopped.  
J.J.: Hey. It's me. Sorry I haven't visited in a while.  
He put the flowers down on Paige's grave.  
J.J.: I was thinking...about music, ya know. And about us. I loved that we had such similar tastes in music. I loved everything about you, Paige. And...I'm doing my best here to survive. Anyway, there was one song I never got to play for you that I wish I had. So, I guess there's no time like the present.  
J.J. pulled the guitar over his shoulder and began strumming.  
J.J. (singing): You gave your life for me, you gave your life for love. The feelings still remain, though you're on a different plane. Your world is full of angels, you've become one. With God above, you're free...  
As J.J. was singing, a flood of memories comes to him.  
 _ _J.J. and Paige first meeting.__  
J.J. (singing): You were so beautiful. You are so beautiful. The love you left behind will carry on. You gave your heart and soul to everyone.  
 _ _J.J. and Paige at the beach, going for a late night swim.__  
J.J. (singing): You never lived a lie. You showed me how to cry. The life that you embraced always let you down.  
 _ _Paige and J.J.'s first kiss.__  
J.J. (singing): Yet you're the only one That stood your ground. No matter what they say...  
 _ _J.J. playing music for Paige.__  
J.J. (singing): You were so beautiful. You are so beautiful. The love you left behind will carry on. You gave your heart and soul to everyone.  
 _ _Paige and J.J. on the couch at the Horton home, cuddling.__  
J.J. (singing): You were so beautiful. You are so beautiful. The love you left behind will carry on. You gave your heart and soul to everyone.  
 _ _Their last kiss.__  
J.J.'s thoughts returned to the present. Unbeknownst to him, Daniel has been standing behind him for the last few minutes.  
J.J. (singing): You were so beautiful. You are so beautiful. The love you left behind will carry on. (voice breaking) You gave your heart and soul to everyone...  
J.J. took a deep breath.  
J.J. (voice breaking): You gave your life for love...I know you're...safe above...  
J.J. stopped strumming and put down the guitar.  
DANIEL: That was beautiful, man.  
J.J. turned around suddenly.

BRADY HOME  
Hope led Bo to the door.  
BO: Are you sure about this, Fancy Face?  
Aiden stepped forward.  
AIDEN: Look, Bo, you seem like a nice guy. And, I'm sure that there's no reason that tomorrow, the three of us can sit down and discuss this reasonably like three mature adults...  
BO: You stay out of this, Jenner!  
HOPE: Don't talk to my husband like that!  
Bo looked away from Aiden.  
HOPE: Aiden, I've got this.  
AIDEN: Right. Sorry.  
Aiden stepped back.  
HOPE: We will talk. But, not right now.  
BO: Okay. If you need me, I'll be at the Pub. I'm sure ma's got a spare room there.  
Bo looked like he was going to go in for a kiss, but stopped himself when he saw Hope opening the door.  
BO: Right. Well, I guess that's my cue to leave. Night.  
Bo walked out the door.

GRAVEYARD  
J.J. wiped his eyes.  
J.J.: Yeah. You, um...you know it?  
DANIEL: I've heard it before. Julian Lennon, if I recall correctly.  
J.J. nodded.  
J.J.: Yeah. You got it. That's him.  
J.J. cleared his throat.  
J.J.: So...how are you?  
DANIEL: Oh, I'm fine. I think the better question is, how are you?  
J.J.: You know...I'm...surviving.  
Daniel nodded.  
DANIEL: The flowers are nice.  
J.J.: Thanks. Yeah, they were Paige's favorites.  
J.J. looked away from Daniel, to the flowers he had set on Paige's grave.  
DANIEL: Hey, man. I miss her, too.  
J.J.: It's just...it's so unfair. It should've been me, not her.  
Daniel put a hand on J.J.'s shoulder.  
DANIEL: Hey, never, J.J., never think like that.  
J.J.: It's the truth, though. Her death, that's on me. If I hadn't been arrogant enough to believe that we could work things out, she wouldn't have been here. Paige had so much she could give the world. She could've been amazing. She already was amazing. And, because of me, she's gone.  
DANIEL: Dude, Paige's death is nothing to do with you. You are not the one who strangled her in the shower. Her death, that's not on you. That's on the Necktie Killer, whoever that person may be. But you, J.J., you are not responsible for that.  
J.J. wanted to say something else, but he couldn't. Instead, he looked down at the ground, hoping to hide the tears in his eyes. Daniel stepped forward and put his arms around J.J.

BRADY HOME  
It is now the next morning. Hope and Aiden were still in bed.  
HOPE: Good morning, Mr. Jennings.  
AIDEN: Good morning, Detective Brady.  
Hope and Aiden kissed.  
AIDEN: You know, I had a great dream last night.  
HOPE: Yeah?  
AIDEN: Yeah. I dreamt that I married the most wonderful, beautiful, intelligent woman in the world. And she just happened to be you.  
HOPE: Hm. Interesting. Because I dreamed that I married the most amazing, fantastic man in the universe, who happened to be you. Except, I don't think it was a dream.  
AIDEN: Hm, well, now that I think about it, it seemed too real and too good to be a dream.  
Hope and Aiden kissed again.

BRADY PUB  
Ciara and Chase had stopped by the Pub to grab breakfast before making their way to school.  
CIARA: Look, all I'm saying is that I wouldn't be surprised if we had a brother or sister come one of these days.  
CHASE: No way. Our parents already have their hands full.  
CIARA: Oh, please. I'm not like I was when I was a kid.  
CHASE: Seriously? I lost 20 bucks to you bowling a few days ago.  
CIARA: Only because you didn't take my advice and go for the center pin.  
CHASE: Going from an angle usually works.  
As they were talking, Bo came down the stairs.  
CIARA: In your dreams.  
BO: Oh my.  
Ciara turned her head when she heard the voice.  
BO: Well, I expected that you would have grown, but I didn't think it would be this much.  
Chase turned, and looked from Ciara to Bo, then back to Ciara.  
CHASE: Ciara, who is this?  
CIARA: He's...he's my dad.  
BO: Hey, little one. I'm home.

DIMERA MANSION  
André was in the den, on the phone.  
ANDRE: You're absolutely sure?  
Pause.  
ANDRE: I see.  
Andre sighed.  
ANDRE: Well, this certainly makes things interesting.  
Pause.  
ANDRE: Yes, you certainly will.  
Pause.  
ANDRE: Yes. Good day.  
André hung up the phone and sighed again. He walked into the main room, where Stefano sat.  
STEFANO: I take it that that was either Aiden Jennings or our informant?  
ANDRE: Informant. For whatever reason, Aiden Jennings didn't carry through with our plan, which means we'll have to make..other arrangements. But, worse than that, Bo Brady is back in town.  
STEFANO: Bo Brady?! How in God's name did he escape?  
ANDRE: No idea, but somehow, he has. Don't worry, father. I shall take care of this.  
STEFANO: Very good. You are a good son, André.  
ANDRE: Yes. And now, for your morning tea.  
Stefano sighed and rolled his eyes as André went out to get a tray.

BRADY PUB  
BO: It's good to see you, kid.  
Bo goes in for a hug, but Ciara backs up.  
BO: Okay, then.  
Bo turns to Chase.  
BO: Hi. I'm Bo Brady, Ciara's father. Who are you?  
CHASE: Chase Jennings. I'm one of Ciara's...  
CIARA: He's my step-brother.  
Before hearing Chase's last name, he and Bo had shaken hands.  
BO: Jennings? You mean, like that lawyer guy?  
CIARA: His name is Aiden, and yes. Chase is Aiden's son.  
BO: I see.  
CIARA: What are you doing here, dad?  
BO: Well, like I said, I'm home. Your Uncle Steve found me a few days ago. It took the better part of three days to get here once he found me.  
CIARA: And where have you been, exactly?  
BO: I was in South America, being held by some of Stefano DiMera's thugs. It's a long story.  
CIARA: One that I don't have time for right now. Chase and I have to get to school. Come on, Chase.  
Ciara and Chase turned to leave.  
BO: Wait, Ciara.  
Ciara turned back.  
CIARA: What?  
BO: We will talk, though. At some point. I need to tell you and your mother what happened.  
CIARA: Yeah, okay.  
Ciara turned, and she and Chase walked away.  
BO (to himself): Well, I guess things really have changed around here.  
A moment later, Shawn-D walked in the door.  
SHAWN-D: Dad?  
Shawn-D smiled, ran over to Bo and hugged him.  
BO: Shawn, it is so good to see you!  
SHAWN-D: You too! When did you get home? Last I heard, you had gone AWOL.  
BO: Just last night. It's a long story. Your Uncle Steve found me and brought me home. That's the important part. I'll fill you, Ciara and your mother in on the details later.  
The two took a seat.  
BO: What about you, though? What are you doing back here? Last I heard, you and Belle were still out sailing around the world.  
SHAWN-D: Well, that was a few years ago. Shortly after you disappeared, we found a place in Maine, and Belle started going to law school.  
BO: Wow. That's a big change.  
SHAWN-D: Yeah, and there's gonna be more big changes coming in the near future.  
BO: Oh, yeah?  
SHAWN-D: Yeah. I came to town about a week ago. Partly for mom and Aiden's wedding...sorry about that, by the way.  
BO: Hey, it's unavoidable. It happened. Can't pretend it didn't.  
SHAWN-D: Anyway, the other reason I came to Salem, is that I'm looking for a house.  
BO: A house?  
SHAWN-D: You know, it usually has four walls and a roof, it's where people live.  
BO: Yeah, yeah, smartie.  
Bo and Shawn-D laughed.  
BO: So, this house?  
SHAWN-D: Yeah. Well, I think I've found the perfect one. As soon as I send the pictures to Belle, she and Claire and coming out here. Long story short, we're moving back to Salem.


	5. Chapter 3

BRADY PUB  
BO: You're moving back home, that's awesome!  
SHAWN-D: Yeah, thanks.  
BO: So, what prompted this?  
SHAWN-D: A couple of things, actually. First of all, as you're probably aware, Claire is a teenager now...  
BO: Yep, so is Ciara.  
SHAWN-D: Right. And, we want her to be raised closer to family than she has been.  
BO: Makes sense to me.  
SHAWN-D: Well, that's only one reason.  
BO: There are others?  
SHAWN-D: Well, yeah. We were ready to come home. I mean, we've spent years traveling. It'll be good to come home at night to a place that doesn't move.  
BO: Hey, I feel ya on that one, man.  
SHAWN-D: Also, as I said, Belle is finishing up law school. And she needed to get an apprenticeship. Which, she now does.  
BO: Oh, she's gonna work with Justin at his law firm. That's great!  
Shawn-D let out a sigh.  
BO: What? It is, isn't it?  
SHAWN-D: Is it great that she got an apprenticeship? You bet it is! Especially one that's here. But, uh, dad, she's not gonna be working with Justin.  
BO: You're not serious?  
SHAWN-D: Hey, I know you don't like him, but you literally just got home yesterday. Give Aiden a chance. It took me a while to warm up to him, too, but I'm getting there.  
Now it was Bo's turn to sigh.  
SHAWN-D: Dad, it's not Aiden's fault that you were kidnapped.  
BO: I know, I know. I was there.  
SHAWN-D: Like I said, I wasn't too sure about him at first, either. But, I had Uncle Steve look into him before he left to go find you. He seems like an okay guy.  
BO: We'll see.  
Shawn-D looked at his watch.  
SHAWN-D: I have to go. I've got an appointment to look at a house in a few. But, it's good to see you.  
BO: You too, man.  
Bo and Shawn-D stood up and hugged.  
SHAWN-D: We'll catch up more soon, okay?  
BO: Sure. Sounds good.  
Shawn-D left.

DIMERA MANSION  
André was on the phone  
ANDRE: Yes, of course, leave them on the doorstep. Do I have to come over there and pick them up myself? I didn't think so. No, I don't want any of your excuses. Just get the job done, and do it now!  
André hung up the phone. Chad walked up.  
CHAD: Trouble in paradise?  
ANDRE: No, not at all. Just waiting for an order to come in. you know how these shipping companies can be. But, as for you, Chad, it's time for your next lesson.  
André chuckled darkly.  
CHAD: And what exactly is my next "lesson", André? What, are you gonna brainwash me with some __Clockwork Orange__ style video and make me fall for a girl who's got lots of money?  
André scoffed.  
ANDRE: Oh, please. Do you think either father or I really care about your pathetic love life? No, my dear little brother. I have much better plans for you. Get changed and grab your machete. I'll be there momentarily.

HORTON TOWN SQUARE  
Shawn-D is in the middle of the square, talking on the phone.  
SHAWN-D: Hey.  
BELLE (over phone): Hey.  
SHAWN-D: I found us a place to live.  
BELLE (over phone): Yeah?  
SHAWN-D: Yeah. You and Claire are gonna love it.  
BELLE (over phone): That's great! I can't wait to see it!  
SHAWN-D: Yeah. So, how soon does your plane leave?  
BELLE (over phone): Oh, we've already left.  
SHAWN-D: Okay. I'll be on my way to O'Haire to pick you guys up.  
BELLE (over phone): That's really not necessary.  
SHAWN-D: You're my wife, of course it is.  
BELLE (over phone): Turn around.  
Shawn-D heard a click on his phone.  
SHAWN-D: What the...?  
BELLE: Turn around.  
Shawn-D turned to see Belle and Claire waiting for him. He ran to them and hugged them.  
CLAIRE: Hi, dad.  
SHAWN-D: Hey, sweetie! It's so good to see you both!  
BELLE: You too!  
CLAIRE: We flew out early because we wanted to see you.  
BELLE: And because we didn't want to spend one more moment without you.  
Shawn-D and Belle kissed.

BRADY HOME  
Aiden had just finished his second shower. The first had been with Hope, but they had gotten a bit distracted, so Aiden took a second. Hope was already dressed and walking down the stairs when the doorbell rang.  
HOPE: I'll get it.  
Hope opened the door, but there was nobody there.  
HOPE: Hello? Hello?  
She looked down and saw a box on the step. She picked up the box and brought it in.  
HOPE: Hm, it's addressed to Aiden.  
Aiden, who was half-dressed, came down the stairs.  
AIDEN: Who was it?  
HOPE: No idea. Whoever it was left this package.  
She handed the package over to Aiden.  
HOPE: It's addressed to you.  
AIDEN: No return address, so no idea who it's from.  
Hope got a pair of scissors, and the two opened the box together. They looked in to see two boxes of chocolates and a small potted plant.  
AIDEN: Well, this is nice.  
HOPE: Yeah, but who's it from?  
AIDEN: There's a note in the flowers, here.  
Aiden picked the note out.  
AIDEN: Oh, I don't believe this.  
HOPE: What?  
AIDEN: "Congratulations on your marriage, and compliments of the upcoming festive season. Love, A., C. and S. DiMera."  
HOPE: Well, the first thing we're doing is getting rid of those chocolates. I am not putting anything in my mouth that was given to me by a DiMera.

SALEM PLACE  
It is now later in the day. Ciara and Chase had stopped at the Java Cafe for coffees after school let out.  
CHASE: So, that guy we met at the Pub earlier, that was your dad?  
Ciara nodded.  
CHASE: Wow. Must be a big surprise running into him after all this time.  
CIARA: Yep.  
CHASE: You don't wanna talk about it?  
CIARA: Not really.  
CHASE: Okay.  
CIARA: How could he just show up after all this time and think that he could start all over again? More than that, how could he just leave me and my mom like that? For three whole years, we had no idea where he was, or if he was even coming home!  
CHASE: That had to be rough.  
CIARA: I mean, we survived. But, that's not the point...  
Ciara was about to continue, but stopped when she saw Bo walk in. Bo saw her, too, and walked over.  
BO: Hey, Ciara. Chase.  
CHASE: Hi, Mr. Brady.  
BO: You guys mind if I take a seat?  
CIARA: If you want to. Chase and I were just leaving.  
Ciara gets up.  
BO: Oh, really? I thought maybe we could catch up a bit.  
CIARA: Maybe later. Come on, Chase.  
Chase stood and followed Ciara out of the Cafe.

DIMERA MANSION  
The phone rang. André picked it up.  
ANDRE: Hello?  
Pause.  
ANDRE: No, this is his son. What can I do for you?  
Pause.  
ANDRE: No, no I don't think that'll be necessary.  
Pause.  
ANDRE: Yes, well I would let you speak with him, but I'm afraid he's unwell and not really up for it.  
Pause.  
ANDRE: I would be very suspicious if you didn't. This is his eldest son, André DiMera. I shall be handling my father's affairs for the foreseeable future.  
Pause.  
ANDRE: No, no. Nothing like that. He's just a bit unwell, and we don't know if he'll fully recover.  
Pause. André smirked.  
ANDRE: I assure you, there will be no need for that. He has everything he needs right here, and I have already got a doctor living in the home with us. He is in more than capable hands. Thank you.  
André hung up the phone.

STREET  
A car pulled up, and out of it walked Shawn-D, Belle and Claire. They walked up to a house.  
BELLE: I love it!  
CLAIRE: It's beautiful!  
SHAWN-D: Yeah, and that's just the outside.  
BELLE: I don't even need to see the inside. I love it already!  
SHAWN-D: Come on.  
Shawn-D led them inside and the three of them looked around the house. Once they were done, they came back out to the street, and looked over the house.  
CLAIRE: This is gonna be great!  
BELLE: I can't wait to move all of our stuff in.  
SHAWN-D: Well, guys, we've made it. We're home.  
The three hugged.

HORTON TOWN SQUARE  
Later in the day, Bo found Ciara again, this time in the Horton Town Square.  
BO: Hey, little one.  
CIARA: Would you please stop calling me that?  
BO: Sure, Ciara. Look, I know you probably don't really want to see me right now, but I just want to talk.  
CIARA: There's nothing to talk about.  
BO: I think there is. Just...please, just give me five minutes, okay? Just five?

PARK  
J.J. sat on a bench, playing his guitar.  
J.J. (singing): So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell?  
As he sang, a flood of memories came back of him and Paige.  
J.J. (singing): Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change? Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?  
J.J. continued strumming. As he did, Claire walked up, but J.J. didn't notice yet. She soon recognized the song.  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing): How I wish, how I wish you were here.  
J.J. noticed Claire now, but continued on without breaking stride.  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing): We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year. Running over the same old ground. What have we found? The same old fears. Wish you were here.  
J.J. slowly stopped strumming and looked up.  
CLAIRE: You're really good.  
J.J.: Thanks. So are you?  
CLAIRE: Thanks. I wasn't trying to intrude or anything. I was just taking a walk and heard you playing. I love that song.  
J.J.: Yeah, it's a good one. I'm J.J., by the way.  
CLAIRE: Claire. I think you're my cousin. I'm Shawn and Belle Brady's daughter.  
J.J.: Oh, yeah. I'm Jennifer Deveraux's son.  
CLAIRE: I thought so. It's nice to meet you.  
J.J.: You too.

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
Ben had not been having a good day. He had gotten into another fight with Abby, and she had run off. Probably to be with Chad. She was always running to Chad when they got into arguments. He was so mad that he punched a brick wall several times in quick succession, but all that had done was give him several cuts on his hands. Finn was stitching him up.  
FINN: Hate to see the other guy, though, yeah?  
Ben said nothing, he just stared ahead.  
FINN: Not much for talking, then. Fair enough.  
Finn finished the stitches.  
FINN: Right, those should be healed in a few days. They'll fall out by themselves.  
BEN: Thank you.  
FINN: Right. No problem, killa.  
Ben jumped up.  
BEN: What the hell did you just call me?  
FINN: Whoa! What?  
BEN: Did you just imply that I'm the Necktie Killer?  
FINN: No, no. Relax, mate. It was a joke. It's just something I call people.  
BEN: Oh, so you're a funny man, huh?  
FINN: Look, mate, you're obviously stressed. Just take a breather. Seriously, my mistake. Didn't mean any harm by it.  
BEN: Whatever.  
Ben grabbed his jacket and stormed off.

PARK  
CLAIRE: So, we are cousins, then.  
J.J.: Yep. Your grandma and my mom are pretty close.  
CLAIRE: Cool. Anyway, like I said, I love the song you were playing.  
J.J.: Thanks. It's a favorite of mine.  
CLAIRE: Cool.  
J.J.: So, I hear you and your parents have been sailing around the world for the last few years. How was that?  
CLAIRE: It was really cool! I loved it! So, do you wanna go hang out, or something?  
J.J.: Sure. Come on, I'll take you to Salem Place.  
CLAIRE: Awesome!  
J.J. and Claire got up and walked to Salem Place.

HORTON TOWN SQUARE  
Bo and Ciara sat down at one of the tables.  
CIARA: Well, you wanted to talk. So, talk.  
BO: You look good.  
CIARA: Yeah, I am.  
BO: That's good. I'm sure you have a lot of questions.  
CIARA: Only the same ones that I've had for three years.  
BO: Yeah, I'm sorry about that. When I left, I didn't intend on being gone that long. I thought I would be gone for a month, at the very most.  
CIARA: Why did you leave, dad? Why would you leave me and mom like that?  
BO: I didn't want to. I had to.  
Ciara rolled her eyes.  
CIARA: More to the point, where did you go? What was so important that you abandoned us for three years?  
BO: Ciara, it wasn't like that.  
CIARA: You don't even know what it was like! You weren't here! You don't know what it's been like for me and mom and everybody else for the last three years! Where were you when I needed you? Why weren't you here? Were mom and I not good enough?  
Ciara was starting to tear up.  
BO: No, no. Honey, don't ever think like that. I love you and mom more than I could ever say.  
CIARA: Then where were you?  
BO: It's...it's complicated.  
CIARA: God, dad, I'm a teenager now. I can handle it. Just tell me what happened! Where the hell were you?!

ALLEY BEHIND THE HOSPITAL  
Finn was getting off for the day. He usually parked behind the hospital, and used this alleyway to get to his car. Usually he saw nothing, except for the odd cat or two. But, tonight was different. He was on his phone.  
FINN: Look, mate, I know it's your day off, but I really need to talk with you. I had a run in with a patient, and I feel like there's something up. Anyway, call me when you get a chance.  
He hung up the phone, and was just putting it in his pocket when he felt the pull of satin around his neck. Before he knew it, he was on the ground, with the figure on top of him, a red necktie around his neck.  
BEN: This could've been so easy. You could've just left us alone! Why didn't you just leave us alone?  
Finn recognized the voice immediately.  
FINN: What...the...hell...  
But he wasn't able to say anymore.


	6. Chapter 4

HORTON TOWN SQUARE  
BO: You're right. You're right. You're not a little kid anymore. And, you deserve to know what happened.  
CIARA: So, tell me.  
Bo took a deep breath.  
BO: I was gonna wait until your mom was ready to talk about this, but now's as good a time as any.  
CIARA: Just spit it out, dad. What happened?  
BO: When I left, I was only gonna be gone maybe a little less than a month. That's it. The whole reason I left is because your grandfather, Victor, found a drug that could help your Grandma Caroline with her memory. It was still in the testing stages back then, but the doctor working on it was fairly sure it could prevent further memory loss, and maybe even help her regain some of the memory she'd lost.  
CIARA: That's it? You were gone for three years for some medicine for Grandma?  
Bo shook his head.  
BO: It's not that simple. You see, I wasn't the only one who was after this medicine.  
CIARA: Who else was?  
BO: The DiMera's.  
CIARA: Why would the DiMera's want a memory drug?  
BO: Who knows? But, they did. Just as I had found the cure, and gotten in touch with Dr. Salinas, the guy who is treating your grandma, one of Stefano's goons got me.  
Bo's phone rang.  
CIARA: You gonna get that?  
Bo looked at his phone.  
BO: I probably should.  
He answered the phone.  
BO: Hey, Fancy Face. Yeah, I'm with Ciara right now. We're at the Town Square.

BRADY HOUSE  
HOPE: Good. I'm glad to hear it. Listen, Bo, we need to have a talk. Many things. More than you can imagine. And, it's important that we all sit down and discuss this. All three of us.

HORTON TOWN SQUARE  
BO: I agree with you there, Fancy Face, but there's more than just three of us that this affects. Well, there is, of course, the obvious: you, me and Aiden. But, there's also Ciara, Shawn and Chase.

HORTON TOWN SQUARE/BRADY HOUSE (side-by-side shot)  
HOPE: Bo, do you really want to involve the kids in this?  
BO: No, but they're gonna be involved anyway. I don't know if Chase is anything like Ciara, but there's no way she's not gonna be affected by this.  
HOPE; I know. Maybe you're right. How about tomorrow?  
BO: Tomorrow's good. It's the weekend, so the kids don't have school.

BRADY HOUSE  
HOPE: Sounds good. See you tomorrow. Bye.  
Hope hung up the phone. Just as she did, there was a knock at the door. Hope answered it, to find Chelsea on the other end.  
HOPE: Chelsea...  
CHELSEA: Where's my dad?  
HOPE: Come in.  
Chelsea walked in. Hope closed the door.  
HOPE: You look well.  
CHELSEA: Thanks. So do you. Now, where's my dad? I heard he went AWOL a while ago, but that he's back now.  
HOPE: How did you...?  
CHELSEA: Shawn and I keep in fairly constant communication.  
HOPE: I see. Well, hon, your father is currently with your sister in the Park. He should be bringing her back home sometime soon.  
CHELSEA: Okay, good.  
AIDEN (from off-screen): Detective Brady, you may want to come up here. You have a very naughty criminal to...  
Aiden started coming down the stairs, but stopped as soon as he saw Chelsea.  
AIDEN: ...question.  
Chelsea promptly turned away, as very little was left to the imagination when Aiden came down the stairs.  
AIDEN: Oh, my god.  
Aiden quickly ran upstairs. Chelsea took a minute to recover.  
HOPE: I...um...  
CHELSEA: No, it's okay. You, um, you don't have to explain anything to me.  
HOPE: It's just...he's my new husband.  
CHELSEA: Right. Yeah, the lawyer. Shawn mentioned him.  
HOPE: So...how's Max?  
CHELSEA: He's good. But, um...right now, I think I'm just gonna let you deal with...whatever that situation was.  
Chelsea headed for the door. Hope walked after her.  
HOPE: Chelsea, you just got here.  
CHELSEA: No, really, I should go. Trust me, it's absolutely fine.  
HOPE: Where are you staying tonight?  
CHELSEA: The Brady Pub. Max is with me, too.  
HOPE: Wait. Before you go, there's something you should know. Your father and I, as well as Aiden, Ciara, Shawn, and Aiden's son, Chase, are going to be having a family meeting tomorrow afternoon. We have a lot of stuff to work out. Since you're part of the family, you should come. And, conveniently, it's going to be at the Brady Pub.  
CHELSEA: Okay. Sure, I'll be there. But, uh...you might wanna get back to your...  
HOPE: My husband.  
CHELSEA: Yeah. See you tomorrow.  
HOPE: Bye, Chels.  
Chelsea walked out. Aiden walked down the stairs, now wearing pants and buttoning a shirt.  
AIDEN: I wasn't expecting company this late.  
HOPE: It's okay. She's left already.  
AIDEN: Oh. I am so sorry about that.  
HOPE: Hey, you didn't know. I didn't even know she was gonna show up.  
AIDEN: So, who was that?  
HOPE: That's Chelsea, Bo's daughter.  
AIDEN: Ah, I see. So, I take it she'll be joining us, as well, tomorrow.  
HOPE: I hope she does. I'm sure she has questions about where her father's been the last few years. We all do.  
AIDEN: Hey, no matter what happens tomorrow, you should know that all I want is what is best for you.  
HOPE: And that is part of why I love you, Mr. Jennings.  
Hope and Aiden kissed.  
HOPE: Now, let's go upstairs and see what we can do about that questioning.  
AIDEN: I like the way you think, Detective.  
Hope and Aiden kissed once more and headed up the stairs.

DANIEL'S APARTMENT  
Daniel was just finishing getting dressed. Nicole had left a little while ago for work. Daniel's phone went off. He picked it up.  
DANIEL: Dr. Jonas. Kayla, slow down. What? Oh my god! I'll be there as soon as I can!  
Daniel hung up the phone, threw on his jacket and shoes, and ran out the door.

BRADY PUB  
Hope, Aiden, Ciara and Chase walked in. Bo and Chelsea were already sitting at a table.  
BO: Morning.  
HOPE: Morning.  
AIDEN: Morning.  
BO: Chelsea, this is Aiden Jennings. Jennings, this is my daughter, Chelsea.  
Aiden coughed.  
AIDEN: We, um...  
CHELSEA: We met yesterday. When I got into town, I went to the house to see if you were there, and I...met Aiden.  
AIDEN: Yeah. Well, it's nice to see you again, Chelsea.  
CHELSEA: Yeah. You too.  
They smiled awkwardly at each other, then looked away quickly.  
HOPE: You look like you're doing well.  
BO: Thanks. So do you.  
CIARA: It's good to see you again, Chels.  
CHELSEA: You too, kid. And who's this handsome guy?  
CHASE: Chase Jennings.  
CIARA: He's Aiden's son. We're in the same grade.  
CHELSEA: Very nice.  
CIARA: So, where's Uncle Max?  
CHELSEA: He went to go see Roman. He'll be back sometime this afternoon. Anyone seen Shawn and Belle?  
BO: Not since yesterday. They'll be here, though.  
As if on cue, Shawn-D, Belle and Claire walked in.  
SHAWN-D: Morning, everybody.  
CHELSEA: Hey, Shawn.  
Chelsea stood up.  
SHAWN-D: Chelsea! Hey!  
Shawn-D and Chelsea hugged.  
SHAWN-D: Good to see you!  
CHELSEA: You too!  
SHAWN-D: For those of you who may or may not recognize her, or haven't met her yet, this is our daughter, Claire.  
CLAIRE: Hi, everyone.  
BO: Claire. You've grown so much.  
CLAIRE: Thanks, grandpa.  
Shawn-D, Belle and Claire sat down.  
SHAWN-D: You guys haven't started yet, have you?  
HOPE: No, as a matter of fact, Aiden, the kids and I just got here.  
BELLE: Great. So, what's going on?  
BO: A lot. I'm sure you all have questions.  
HOPE: Definitely.  
BO: And, I have answers.  
CIARA: Great. Let's hear them.

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
Daniel ran into the hospital.  
DANIEL: Where is he?  
He walked over to Kayla.  
DANIEL: Kayla, tell me, where is he? Where's Finn?  
KAYLA: I'm sorry, Daniel. He's gone.  
Daniel looked down at the floor and rubbed his temples.  
KAYLA: He was dead when we found him.  
Daniel took a deep breath.  
DANIEL: How long ago?  
KAYLA: We only found him just shortly before I called you. Dr. Hunter found him on his way into the building today.  
Daniel nodded.  
DANIEL: Any estimated time of death?  
Kayla shook her head.  
KAYLA: There's no way of knowing. We assume it was late last night, but it could have been as early as a few hours ago.  
DANIEL: What about the cause?  
KAYLA: He was strangled. When Hunter found his body, he said that wrapped around his neck was a red...  
DANIEL: A red necktie.  
Daniel sighed.  
DANIEL: So, that makes four victims.  
Kayla nodded.  
KAYLA: Look, I know he was your friend, so if you want to take some time off...  
DANIEL: What I want, what I need is to find out who did this. Now I know, I know that this wasn't Chad DiMera. He may be a DiMera, but he is no killer.  
Daniel shook his head.  
DANIEL: No, I'm gonna find out who did this.  
Daniel's phone pinged. He looked at it, and saw a voicemail that Finn had left for him last night. He picked it up.  
FINN (over phone): Hey, mate. Sorry to call you so late in the day. Guess you aren't at the phone at the mo'. Look, mate, I know it's your day off, but I really need to talk to you. I had a run in with a patient, and I feel like there's something up. Anyway, call me when you get a chance.  
Daniel put the phone down.  
DANIEL: Kayla, can you look up Finn's patient files from yesterday?  
KAYLA: I can, but why?  
DANIEL: He left me a voicemail late last night, saying that there was something he needed to discuss about a patient. He said that they had a disagreement, and that he thinks there's something a bit peculiar about the patient's behavior.  
KAYLA: What does that have to do with Finn's death?  
DANIEL: I'm thinking that the patient he had a disagreement with may be our necktie killer, and I'd like to review his patient files to see who he saw yesterday.  
KAYLA: Okay. I'll look into that for you.

BRADY PUB  
The group had been joined by Max, and all were sat at a table in the back of the Pub.  
BO: So, you all know that ma's been losing her memory the last few years.  
MAX: Because of the Alzheimer's, yeah.  
BO: Right. Well, Victor had a contact in South America who was a doctor. This guy claimed that he had found a drug that could drastically slow down the Alzheimer's process, and maybe even stop it, and help the patient regain some memory. However, because the trial was still in it's early stages, it was very hush-hush. I wasn't even supposed to know. But, hothead that I am, I didn't stop digging until I found out what it was. Then, I went to South America to find this doctor and see if he had finished the drug. The plan was that I was gonna be gone a few weeks, a month at the very most. I would come back with the drug, and give it to ma.  
CIARA: Well, obviously, that didn't happen.  
BO: Yeah. As it turns out, I wasn't the only one looking for the drug.  
AIDEN: Who else was?  
HOPE: Oh, let me guess...  
BO & HOPE: The DiMera's.


	7. Chapter 5

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
Kayla had gotten Finn's files to Daniel, and he was now looking over them. Kayla walked in.  
KAYLA: Anything interesting.  
Daniel shook his head.  
DANIEL: Nope. Usual stuff. A few common colds, one flu. Laryngitis, acute ear infection, and one kid who is showing early signs of chicken pox. But, so far, nothing that would tie any of these people to our killer.  
KAYLA: Well, at least you looked.  
DANIEL: Oh, I'm not finished yet. I still have a handful of these to go through.  
Kayla's phone buzzed.  
KAYLA: I'm being paged to the operating room. I'll see you later.  
DANIEL: All right. Thanks, Kay.  
Kayla left. Daniel opened up another folder.  
DANIEL: Let's see, Ben Weston. Hm.  
Daniel read through the file.  
DANIEL: I don't believe this.

BRADY PUB  
BO: Victor had a contact in South America who was a doctor. This guy claimed that he had found a drug that could drastically slow down the Alzheimer's process, and maybe even stop it, and help the patient regain some memory. However, because the trial was still in it's early stages, it was very hush-hush. I wasn't even supposed to know. But, hothead that I am, I didn't stop digging until I found out what it was. Then, I went to South America to find this doctor and see if he had finished the drug. It should have been really simple. The plan was that I was gonna be gone a few weeks, a month at the very most. After I found the drug, and give it to ma.  
CIARA: Well, obviously, that didn't happen.  
BO: Yeah. As it turns out, I wasn't the only one looking for the drug.  
AIDEN: Who else was?  
HOPE: Oh, let me guess...  
BO & HOPE: The DiMera's.  
BO: You got it, Fancy Face.  
CIARA: Mom, how did you guess that?  
HOPE: Not hard to figure out. Big crime family, the possibility of making money. That has DiMera written all over it.  
AIDEN: Thing is, the DiMera's are rolling in money. Whatever this Alzheimer's cure is, however much it's worth, that's gotta be pocket change to the DiMera's.  
Bo nodded.  
BO: It would be. But, the only reason the DiMera's wanted it, as I soon found out, was to create a special type of powder that was so powerful it could control people's minds. The DiMera's could make anybody do anything they wanted with this drug.  
SHAWN-D: How? It's not like the DiMera's are genius scientists or anything.  
BO: Nope, they're not. But, they do have a scientist working for them. Or, should I say, a doctor.  
CHELSEA: Doctor who?  
BO: No, not him.  
HOPE: It wasn't...no. It couldn't be.  
BELLE: Who?  
HOPE: No! Not him?!  
BO: Right again, Fancy Face.  
MAX: Okay, who are you guys talking about?

 _UNKNOWN LOCATION – FLASHBACK  
Bo was dragged into a dark room by to masked men. He was tied to a chair, and the two masked men left.  
BO (yelling): Hey! What the hell is this?! Somebody wanna come out here and tell me what's going on?!  
The door opened, and a figure walked in. It was too dark for Bo to see who it was.  
BO: Who is it? Who's there?  
ROLF: You will find this will be a lot easier if you just kept quiet.  
The lights turned on to reveal the figure as Dr. Rolf.  
ROLF: Of course, I understand zat keeping quiet zomething the Salem P.D. are not used to doing. Though, being tied up should be by now.  
Bo rolled his eyes.  
BO: Dr. Rolf. I would say it's good to see you, but I don't want to lie.  
ROLF: Oh, the pleasure iz all mine, Commander Brady.  
BO: Say, what are you doing here in the first place? Aren't you dead?  
ROLF: Last I checked, I wasn't.  
BO: I thought you'd died a few years ago after Stefano turned John into a zombie...again.  
ROLF: Ah, but as you can zee, I am very much alive. Whatever rumors there are of my death, I can assure you zat they have been very much exaggerated.  
BO: Rolf, why am I here?  
ROLF: Nobody really knows why we are here, though Schopenhauer did come up with some interesting theories.  
BO: Never knew you were one with a sense of humor. I mean, why did two of Stefano's goons drag me in here, and why am I now face to face with you?  
ROLF: Ah, zat. An excellent question.  
BO: And one that I'm not going to ask again?  
Rolf chuckled.  
ROLF: Ah, but you zee, your threats will do you no good. You are our prisoner.  
BO: Our?  
Rolf nodded.  
ROLF: I have an...associate of sorts that requested your presence here. We want to know about the serum.  
BO: What serum?  
ROLF: Come, come, Commander. Surely you know of which serum I speak.  
BO: No idea.  
ROLF: I zee.  
Rolf sighed.  
ROLF: Well, I hate to have to do this, but perhaps you need a little persuading._

BRADY PUB  
HOPE: Dr. Wilhelm Rolf.  
Bo nods.  
BELLE: Um, maybe I'm remembering this wrong, but isn't he the one who Rex thought he'd killed, and then disappeared when my dad was Stefano's pawn...again?  
BO: That's the one.  
SHAWN-D: So, he's not dead?  
BO: Nope.  
HOPE: No surprise there. Stefano's flunkies have a habit of showing up. I don't know if Stefano's given them is Phoenix powers, or what.  
CHELSEA: So, what happened next, Dad?  
BO: Well, unfortunately, Rolf wasn't the only person I met while I was a DiMera captive.

 _UNKNOWN LOCATION - FLASHBACK  
ROLF: I have arranged a meting for you with your captor, seeing as you are so eager to meet him.  
BO: Yeah, he'd better be glad that I'm chained to this chair, or I'd show him the true meaning of torture.  
ROLF: Oh, tut, tut. He will most definitely not be pleased that you are being so uncooperative.  
BO: Well, let's take a wild stab in the dark. You're here, so obviously your employer would be Stefano.  
André entered the room.  
ANDRE: Not quite.  
BO: André DiMera?  
ANDRE: In the flesh.  
BO: But...but you died! You turned off your own life support system and made it look like my father did it!  
ANDRE: Oh, yes. How is dear old Shawn? Still incredibly dead, I imagine.  
BO: How...how did you..  
ANDRE: Come, come, Commander Brady. Surely you know that the DiMera's never truly die.  
BO: How did you know that my father is dead?  
ANDRE: I have eyes and ears all over Salem. Besides, did you really think I would stay away forever?  
BO: You son of a bitch! You're lucky I'm in chains right now!  
ANDRE: No, I'm afraid you're the one who's lucky, Bo. Lucky that I am in a generous mood this afternoon, and don't intend on killing you, as I so easily could.  
André pulled up a chair and sat down.  
ANDRE: You see, I have plans for you, Bo Brady. Very big plans.  
André pulled what looked like a miniature computer chip out of his pocket.  
ANDRE: You see this?  
BO: What is it?  
ANDRE: Just watch. You're gonna love this.  
André put the chip in his mouth, then pulled out Bo's phone from another pocket. When he finally spoke into the phone, it was with a voice that was not his own.  
ANDRE (Bo's voice): Fancy Face, I'm sorry, but it looks like this mission's gonna take a bit longer than I thought.  
BO: What the hell?!  
ANDRE (Bo's voice): No, I don't know when I'll be home.  
Pause.  
ANDRE (Bo's voice): I'll try to, but it doesn't look promisng.  
Pause.  
ANDRE (Bo's voice): You know I can't say anything. It's classified. Anyway, tell Ciara I love her. Gotta go. Bye.  
André hung up the phone, took the chip out of his mouth, and laughed.  
ANDRE: It's uncanny, isn't it? I could almost be mistaken for you with this little thing in my mouth, couldn't I?  
André chuckled darkly._

BRADY PUB  
HOPE; I don't believe it.  
BO: It's true, Fancy Face.  
HOPE: I'm sure it is. But, André is here now. He came back to Salem just a few months ago. Before that, he was in prison. How is it that he was your captor?  
BO: Well, that's what André wanted you to think. He made you believe that he was in prison, when he was really in South America, watching over Rolf as he tortured me. They held me there for the better part of a year and a half.  
SHAWN-D: But what happened the other year and five months you were gone?  
BO: Well, I was still their captive. I just wasn't their captive in South America anymore.

 _ _UNKNOWN LOCATION - FLASHBACK  
Bo is whistling. He now has a full beard. The door opens, and Rolf walks in.  
ROLF: I am most sad to say, Commander, that our time together iz almost up.  
BO: What do you mean?  
ROLF: It seems that our attempts to break you have been unsuccessful. So, Mr. DiMera and I have decided to take a different approach.  
BO: You're letting me go?  
Rolf laughed.  
ROLF: Oh, you make me laugh. I shall miss that about you. No, no. You're not going free. We are simply moving you to another location.  
BO: Where?  
ROLF: You will zee soon enough.  
Rolf injected something into Bo's arm, and Bo was knocked unconscious. __

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
Kayla and Daniel were in Daniel's office.  
KAYLA: Are you serious?  
DANIEL: It all connects. Finn's voicemail said that this patient got upset. In the chart, it says that Ben became very agitated after an off-hand remark Finn made.  
KAYLA: Wait a minute, isn't this Clyde Weston's son?  
DANIEL: Yep.  
Kayla thought for a moment.  
DANIEL: What are you thinking, Kay?  
KAYLA: I'm thinking that there's more to this than meets the eye.  
DANIEL: Like?  
KAYLA: We don't know if Ben is the real killer, but we know that Clyde has been involved in some pretty dodgy stuff. Mostly drugs and murder. What if Finn discovered that Clyde was the killer, and made what he thought was an off-hand comment to Ben about it, and then Ben called up Clyde and had him kill Finn?  
DANIEL: That's an interesting theory, Kayla. But, there are a few problems with it. One, if Finn had suspected anything like that, he would have told somebody about it.  
KAYLA: He did. Or, at least, he tried to by leaving a voicemail on your phone.  
DANIEL: Two, Clyde is in jail.  
KAYLA: Daniel, do you know how many times the DiMera's have been in jail?  
DANIEL: No offense, Kayla, but Clyde is no DiMera. But, I agree that there is more to this than meets the eye. So, I think we should look into it.

 _ _A PLACE THAT LOOKS LIKE THE BRADY HOME - FLASHBACK  
Bo got up, and started looking around.  
BO: Hope?  
He put on some clothes and went downstairs.  
BO: Fancy Face?  
He went into the kitchen.  
BO: Ciara?  
He walked back into the living room.  
BO: Where is everybody?  
Bo turned on the television, and was greeted by André's smiling face.  
ANDRE: Ah, glad to see you're finally awake.  
Bo grabbed the remote and changed the channel. It didn't matter, though.  
ANDRE: I'm sure that right now you're probably trying to change the channel, and within a few moments, what passes for a mind in your head will probably have worked out that that is a fruitless exercise.  
BO: What the hell is this place?  
ANDRE: Oh, don't look so surprised. Surely you must know where you are, and that you are very much alone.  
BO: No, not this place again.  
ANDRE: If you had just given me the information about the serum like Rolf asked, we wouldn't have been forced to do this. Perhaps spending the next few years alone will make you reconsider. Don't worry, I'll keep checking up on you to see if you've decided to tell me the truth. But until then, Commander Brady, enjoy your stay. I promise, it has all the comforts of home.  
André chuckled darkly.  
BO: Damn you, DiMera!  
Bo turned off the TV.  
__  
BRADY PUB  
BO: ...and for the next year and a half, that's where I was.  
HOPE: I can't believe it! I thought it got blown up years ago.  
BO: We all did.  
SHAWN-D: Melaswen.  
BO: Melaswen 2.0. Same island, same everything. I don't know how Steve figured it out.  
AIDEN: So, for the better part of two years, you lived all alone on an island in the tropics that is identical in every way to Salem?  
BO: Well, I wasn't exactly alone. I was, most of the time. But, every few months, André would come and check on me. It wasn't so bad. At least I could eat. Rolf would visit me, as well, and try to torture me a little more into giving me an answer. But, I never gave in. Then, one day, she showed up.  
CHELSEA: Who's she?

 _ _SALEM PLACE – MELASWEN – FLASHBACK  
Bo was walking through Salem Place, or what passed for Salem Place in Melaswen, and took a seat outside the Java Cafe. A young woman with curly, dark brown hair and beautiful brown eyes was walking through. She stopped when she saw Bo.  
WOMAN: Excuse me?  
Bo looked up when he heard the voice.  
WOMAN: Do you know where everyone is?  
BO: This place is deserted. Well...mostly deserted. I didn't think there was anyone else here but me.  
WOMAN: This is so weird. One minute, I was getting ready to take a shower, then there was a knock at the door, so I opened it. Next thing I know, everyone's gone. Literally, everyone. J.J., Jennifer, my mom.  
BO: Whoa, whoa. Hold your horses. You know J.J. and Jennifer Deveraux?__

DIMERA MANSION  
There were several loud knocks on the door. Harold opened it, and Ben stormed in.  
BEN: Where is he? Where the hell is your boss?!  
HAROLD: Follow me.  
Harold led Ben into the main room where Stefano and André were sitting.  
BEN: You and I are gonna talk.  
ANDRE: Ah, young Mr. Weston. What a pleasure it is to see you.  
BEN: Cut the crap, DiMera! People are finding out!  
STEFANO: What is going on here? Get the hell out of my house, Weston!  
BEN: I'm not going anywhere, old man! Not until your son and I have a talk!  
André stepped forward, a grim look on his face. His voice went low enough so that Ben could just hear it.  
ANDRE: Never speak to my father like that again.  
Ben looked away.  
ANDRE: Harold, please take father upstairs. Mr. Weston and I have some business to discuss.  
STEFANO: I do not need to go upstairs!  
ANDRE: And bring him some tea.  
Harold did as he was told.  
HAROLD: I'm sorry about this, Mr. DiMera.  
Harold and Stefano left.  
ANDRE: Where the hell do you get off barging into my home and speaking to my father like that?  
BEN: Look, I'm...  
ANDRE: Do you have any idea who you're dealing with? I'm not your weak father, and I'm certainly not intimidated by a pathetic temper tantrum because your insignificant love life isn't everything you imagined it to be. Need I remind you that I own you, Weston?  
Ben took a deep breath.  
BEN: I'm sorry. I overreacted. It's just, people are beginning to find out. That Australian doctor guy, he knew. He knew that I was the Necktie Killer. He barely knows me! And if he knew, who the hell else do you suppose either knows or will figure it out?  
ANDRE: It doesn't matter to me, personally.  
BEN: What? But...but, Mr. DiMera...if they know that I'm the Necktie Killer...  
André chuckled darkly.  
ANDRE: Oh, Ben. It doesn't matter if people know you're the Necktie Killer. Because we both know you're not, don't we?  
Ben looked confused.  
BEN: What?  
ANDRE: How stupid are you? We've been over this a million times. You know that you aren't the Necktie Killer. I am.


	8. Chapter 6

DIMERA MANSION  
BEN: Whoa! What?!  
ANDRE: Oh, don't be so thick, Weston. You've known since the beginning that the killer was really me.  
André chuckles.  
ANDRE: Of course, you've forgotten, haven't you?  
BEN: But...but, I remember killing them.  
ANDRE: You remember what I want you to remember. By the way, would you like some tea? I'll have Harold whip you up some.  
André rang a bell. A moment later, Harold walked in.  
HAROLD: You rang?  
ANDRE: Yes. Harold, get our dear friend some tea, please.  
HAROLD: Right away, sir.  
Harold left.  
ANDRE: You were the perfect scapegoat, Weston. An angry young man. A large temper, and little control over it. It isn't even too much of a stretch, is it? Paige Larson was too close to figuring you out. Will Horton had already gotten you figured out. That Australian doctor, Finn, was the same as the Larson girl. The only one I had trouble with was Serena Mason.

 _SALEM PLACE – MELASWEN – FLASHBACK  
WOMAN: Yeah. J.J.'s my boyfriend...kind of. Well, we're working things out.  
BO: Jennifer's my cousin, through marriage. Who are you?  
PAIGE: Paige Larson. Who are you?  
BO: Bo Brady.  
PAIGE: Wait, you're J.J.'s Uncle Bo? Oh my gosh! I've heard so much about you!  
BO: Well, I'm glad to hear that people haven't forgotten me. Well, Paige Larson, let me to be the first to welcome you to Melaswen.  
PAIGE: I don't understand.  
BO: Neither do I, entirely. But, this island is owned by the DiMera's. I'm sure you've at least heard that name.  
PAIGE: Oh, yeah.  
BO: Well, Stefano's psychotic nephew, André, created this island as an exact replica of Salem. Years ago, he made it look like a bunch of our friends and family had died, but really, he had hidden them away here. It was just kind of lucky that we were able to find them here and get off this rock.  
PAIGE: So, this isn't really Salem?  
Bo shook his head.  
PAIGE: So, how do we get out of here?  
BO: That's what I've been trying to figure out for the last...what year is it now?  
PAIGE: 2015.  
BO: Year and a half. It's nearly a year and a half I've been here.  
PAIGE: By yourself?  
BO: Well, André and his creepy assistant, Dr. Rolf, visit every now and then. But, yes.  
PAIGE: So...what now?_

BRADY PUB  
BO: So, for the next few weeks, Paige and I tried to work out how we were getting home.  
HOPE: This is like the Salem Stalker all over again. Paige was killed, but not by André. She was killed by Ben Weston.  
BO: Who?  
AIDEN: The emotionally unstable son of Clyde Weston, a hick who thinks he's a drug lord.  
BO: Well, whoever killed her, she didn't die. She was on Melaswen with me. But, she's not the only one.  
SHAWN-D: Who else was?

DIMERA MANSION  
ANDRE: I had intended for Serena Mason and Finn to end up on Melaswen, as well. But, something went wrong. While they were being delivered, the ship that took them over got lost at sea. I lost five of my men each time, with them. Still, no use worrying about them. They're victims of the triangle, now.  
BEN: The triangle?  
ANDRE: Oh, yes. Melaswen is very close to the Bermuda Triangle. That's why I built it there. It's very hard to escape from.  
Ben pulled out a gun.  
BEN: You monster! You made me think that I was a killer! How could you do this to me?  
André had been pouring himself a drink. He looked at Ben, holding the gun, and chuckled.  
ANDRE: Weston, do you honestly think that that gun is going to do anything to me?  
Ben pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. André laughed.  
ANDRE: It's a toy gun. I planted it on you weeks ago. I knew that the day would come when you try to use it on me.  
André turned away.  
ANDRE: Oh, Ben Weston...you silly boy. You could have been such a good servant.

 _BRADY PUB – MELASWEN – FLASHBACK  
Bo and Paige sat in the Brady Pub. In the weeks that Paige had been there, they'd gotten to know each other. They were eating breakfast, when Will walked in the door.  
WILL: Thank goodness you two are here. I was beginning to think this town was deserted.  
BO: Will?  
WILL: Uncle Bo?  
Bo stood up and gave Will a hug.  
BO: Hey, bud. How are you?  
WILL: I'm okay. Mostly confused. But, how are you? Where have you been? It's been three years that you've been gone!  
BO: It's a long story, and I'll be happy to tell you about it later.  
Will looked over at the other person at the table.  
WILL: Paige...  
PAIGE: Hey, Will.  
WILL: But...but, how is this possible? You...you died. The Necktie Killer got you.  
BO: The Necktie Killer?  
WILL: A serial killer who uses red neckties to kill his victims.  
PAIGE: Except, it turns out that they aren't dead. They show up here.  
WILL: Where is here? Why is Salem deserted?  
BO: This isn't exactly Salem.  
Bo explained Melaswen to Will and Paige.  
WILL: Well, we've gotta find someway off of here.  
BO: That's what Paige and I have been trying to figure out.  
_  
BRADY PUB  
BO: So, the three of us started working together to try and get out. About a week after Will showed up, Steve did, and he was able to get me out. We would have brought Will and Paige with, but there wasn't room. We promised we'd go back for them.  
MAX: So, that's where Steve is.  
Bo nodded.  
BO: He's trying to bring those two home.  
AIDEN: What about Serena Mason?  
BO: Who?  
HOPE: One of Eric's former lovers. She's a redhead with slightly crazy, bulging eyes; and hates Nicole with the passion of a thousand burning suns for absolutely no reason. She was also one of the Necktie Killer's victims.  
BO: Never heard of her.  
HOPE: I just can't believe this.  
BO: I can hardly believe it myself.  
HOPE: I'd thought..I'd thought you'd ran out on us. That you had abandoned us.  
CIARA: We all did.  
BO: What else were you supposed to think? André can be a pretty convincing guy. That chip he used to impersonate me really was uncanny.  
HOPE: I should have known.  
BO: Hey, like I said, how could you have?  
Bo and Hope hugged.  
BO: So...we're good?  
Hope stared at Bo.  
HOPE: No.

DIMERA MANSION  
André had tied Ben to a chair. He had a gag in his mouth, and the top half of his face was covered by a black mask. He was gripping a red necktie in one hand. André was on the phone.  
ANDRE: Salem P.D.? Yes, this is André DiMera. I'd like to report a break in at my residence. 430 Lakeview Drive. Yes, I have reason to believe that I have found the Necktie Killer. You'll be here in less than five? Excellent.  
André hung up the phone, and chuckled.  
ANDRE: As I said, you could have been such a good servant. But now, I've no use for you, Benny boy.

BRADY PUB  
Bo and Hope stood up and hugged.  
BO: So...we're good?  
Hope stared at Bo.  
HOPE: No. No, we're not "good".  
Aiden stood.  
AIDEN: I think the two of you need some time to talk.  
SHAWN-D: So do I. And we still have some unpacking to do. We'll see you later.  
Shawn-D, Belle and Claire left.  
CHELSEA: I'm gonna go check on Grandma.  
Chelsea got up and left.  
MAX: I'm gonna...go with her.  
Max followed Chelsea. Aiden turned to Ciara and Chase.  
AIDEN: Well, kids, what do you say we go to the movies?  
CHASE: Sounds good to me.  
CIARA: Okay.  
HOPE: You two can go. But, Aiden, I'd like it if you stayed.  
AIDEN: Well, if that's what you want.  
HOPE: It is.  
Ciara hugged Bo.  
CIARA: I'm so glad I was wrong about you.  
BO: Me too.  
Bo held out his hand. Chase shook it. Then, he and Ciara left.  
BO: Fancy Face...  
HOPE: Please, Bo. You've had your turn to talk. Now, it's my turn.  
The three of them sat back down.  
HOPE: I understand why you were gone for so long. I understand that it wasn't your fault that you got kidnapped and tortured, and put on Melaswen. I even understand why you left. And, I don't blame you for wanting to help your mother. And I know that if it were up to you, you wouldn't have spent any more time away from this family than you had to.  
BO: Yes. Exactly.  
HOPE: But, what I don't understand is why you lied to me.  
BO: I wouldn't call it lying.  
HOPE: You didn't tell me the whole truth. In fact, you didn't tell me anything.  
BO: Hope, it was a top secret mission. Very hush-hush.  
HOPE: You couldn't have at least given me some clue? Come on, Brady. You know that I can keep a secret. You know how much Caroline means to me. Don't you think that if you had told me that you were going to find a drug that could possibly cure your mother that I would be more than happy to see that happen. That I would even want to go with you to help. We were supposed to be a team, Bo. You don't keep secrets when you're husband and wife; especially not this kind of secret.  
BO: Fancy Face, if I could do this all over again, of course I would have told you about it.  
HOPE: But, you didn't. And that's the bit that upsets me. That's why I'm angry, because you didn't trust me. A relationship should be built on trust, and you didn't trust me. And now, I don't know how I feel about you coming back. I know that it wasn't your fault that you were gone, but you can't expect things to be the same after all this time.  
BO: I understand that. And I will do whatever I can to prove that I do trust you, and that you can trust me. That we can be a family again.  
Aiden cleared his throat.  
HOPE: Bo, Aiden and I are married. I'm sure that we can find a way to be friends, eventually. But, it will take a long time before I am ready to trust you again.

DIMERA MANSION  
By the time that the Salem P.D. had come, André had taken the gag out of Ben's mouth. He kept his face covered, though. .  
RAFE: You didn't think to find out who he is?  
ANDRE: Not my job. I did my part. I called you all here.  
Rafe took off the mask, revealing Ben.  
RAFE: Ben Weston?  
BEN: Rafe...I swear. It wasn't me.  
ANDRE: Oh, but you see, it was. I caught him trying to sneak in and get up to father's room. Thankfully, I overpowered him before he could do something terrible to father.  
RAFE (under his breath): Yeah, lucky.  
André smirked.  
ANDRE: Also, I have some D.N.A. tests that were run by our live-in doctor, that match his . to that which is on the neckties of the previous victims.  
André handed Rafe some papers.  
RAFE: Live in doctor?  
ANDRE: Yes. We've had one ever since father became ill. He's not doing well you see.  
Rafe looked over the papers, then turned to his two fellow cops.  
RAFE: Well, we'll double check these at the station. Can never be too careful, you understand. All right, boys. Round him up and bring him down to the station. We'll have some questions for him, there.  
BEN: No! No, it wasn't me! I swear, it wasn't me! You've gotta believe me!  
One of the cops took out some handcuffs and put them on Ben.  
RAFE: Ben Weston, you are arrested on suspicion of murder. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them?  
BEN: Yes.  
The two cops escorted Ben out of the room.  
RAFE: Surprised to see you cooperating with the police.  
ANDRE: Oh, just trying to keep Salem safe.  
RAFE: Hmm. Interesting.  
ANDRE: What's that, detective?  
RAFE: There's no sign of a forced entry. Nothing to indicate a break in. You did say that Ben broke in, didn't you?  
ANDRE: The front door was unlocked. I believe Chad must have forgotten to lock it on his way out. Stupid mistake, really. I shall have to have words with him.  
RAFE: I see.  
Rafe walked away.

JAVA CAFE  
Ciara and Chase had stopped for drinks.  
CIARA: I feel kinda bad...for thinking that my dad had abandoned us, you know. I can't believe I could ever have thought that.  
CHASE: From the sound of it, there's no way you could have known.  
CIARA: I guess. But, still, I should know that my dad just wouldn't run out on us.  
Chase put an arm around Ciara.  
CIARA: Thanks for listening to all this, Chase. I know we get on each other's nerves sometimes, but honestly, I don't know what I'd do without you.  
CHASE: Well, you won't have to worry about that. I'm not going anywhere.  
Ciara smiled.

SALEM JAIL  
Ben had been taken to the Salem Jail. He was now sitting in a cell. Well, perhaps sitting is a poor choice of words. He was actually standing by the bars, rattling them.  
BEN: I'm tellin' you! You've got the wrong guy! It's not me! I'm not the Necktie Killer! You've got the wrong man!  
Officer Beck, one of the officers who had assisted Ben's arrest, walked over.  
BECK: Hey, kid, shut up!  
Officer Beck turned and walked away.

BRADY PUB  
Everybody had cleared out of the Pub. Everyone, that is, except for Bo and Chelsea. Max was still upstairs.  
CHELSEA: I'm glad you told everyone what happened.  
BO: Well, it's only right. They all deserved to know. Especially Hope.  
CHELSEA: Yeah.  
BO: And, I understand why she's mad at me. I should have trusted her. I should have told her about the serum.  
CHELSEA: Yeah, but from what you said, it was top secret.  
BO: Hon, there's no such thing as secrets in a marriage. Me keeping secrets is what's got me in trouble before. So, from now on, no more secrets.  
CHELSEA: That's good.  
BO: So, what do you make of all this?  
CHELSEA: Well, like I said, it wasn't your fault that you got kidnapped. And, you weren't supposed to tell anyone about the serum. I mean, you were trying to help grandma. That's a good thing.  
Bo nodded.

DIMERA MANSION  
André had set up a chess board in Stefano's bedroom. He and Stefano were playing chess. Stefano was sitting up in bed.  
STEFANO: The plan is proceeding well?  
ANDRE: Of course, father. Nobody knows anything.  
STEFANO: Excellent.  
ANDRE: The only trouble we may have is Rafe Hernandez. But, even he is manageable.  
Stefano nodded.  
STEFANO: And what of Chad?  
André smiled.  
ANDRE: He is still resistant to our ideals. But, I shouldn't worry yourself about him, father. He shall soon come to know our ways.  
André chuckled as he made a move, taking one of Stefano's pieces.

HORTON TOWN SQUARE – MELASWEN  
Paige and Will were walking through the Town Square, or what was made to look like it.  
PAIGE: You're sure about this?  
WILL: He said he'd come back, and to come to this spot every day.  
PAIGE: It's been nearly a month since he's been gone.  
WILL: Hey, I know things look bad, but don't give up on him. My Uncle Steve will come back for us.  
So, they waited in the Town Square. However, unlike most days, where they waited in vain, this time, something actually happened.  
WILL: Do you hear that?  
PAIGE: Hear what?  
In the distance, there was a buzzing sound. It grew closer and closer. Soon, both Will and Paige saw a helicopter.  
WILL: That's him!  
The helicopter floated down, and touched ground just outside the Square. Will and Paige ran to meet it. Steve jumped out of it.  
STEVE: All right, dudes! Let's get you home!


	9. Chapter 7

BRADY HOME  
It was now Thanksgiving. Hope and Aiden were getting ready. They were going to have lunch with everybody at the Brady Pub that afternoon.  
AIDEN: Happy Thanksgiving, detective.  
HOPE: Happy Thanksgiving, Mr. Jennings.  
AIDEN: You know what I'm thankful for this year?  
HOPE: What?  
AIDEN: That I have the most amazing, wonderful woman in the world, who for some reason chose to be my wife.  
HOPE: Well, I'm thankful for having an amazing husband, like you.  
Hope and Aiden kissed.  
HOPE: And no matter what happens, we'll get through it together.

HELICOPTER  
Steve had flown throughout the night.  
STEVE: We would be at the ship already if it weren't for all the traps DiMera has set up.  
PAIGE: Traps?  
STEVE: Yeah, when André was reinventing this island, he set up a whole bunch of boobietraps to try and stop whoever he kept prisoner from escaping. That's why we're having to fly so slowly, so as not to set off any of the traps.  
WILL: Uncle Bo said something about this island being near the Bermuda Triangle.  
STEVE: Right smack dab in the middle of it. Don't worry, though. Once we get to Puerto Rico, and we're able to land and catch the boat, we'll be just fine.  
PAIGE: So, how far into the Triangle are we?  
STEVE: If my calculations are correct, we should be just at the very corner of it right now. If we are, that means it's about to get a bit bumpy.  
As if on cue, a huge bolt of turbulence hit.  
STEVE: Hold on tight, dudes!

BRADY PUB  
Bo and Chelsea were setting the table. Most of the people in Salem were coming, so they had put all of the tables together.  
BO: Seems like you and Max are doing well.  
Chelsea nodded.  
CHELSEA: Yep, we are.  
BO: So, should I be expecting any big news one of these days?  
Chelsea laughed.  
CHELSEA: I don't think so.  
BO: You love him, don't you?  
CHELSEA: Of course. And he loves me. We're just not in a huge rush to get married yet.  
BO: I don't blame ya. It's a big step.  
CHELSEA: I mean, I'd love it if he asked. But, you know, we're both kind of comfortable where we ware right now.  
BO: Makes sense.  
They finished setting the table.  
BO: Looks good.  
CHELSEA: Yeah, it does.  
BO: Should go get those napkin holders ma likes to use for Thanksgiving. Be right back.  
CHELSEA: Okay.  
Bo turned to go into the back, but stopped suddenly and gripped the bar. Chelsea noticed, and ran over.  
CHELSEA: Dad? Dad, are you okay?  
She ran and got a chair, brought it back, and eased Bo into a sitting position.  
CHELSEA: Dad? Dad, what's going on?  
Bo snapped out of it once he sat down.  
BO: What?  
CHELSEA: What just happened to you?  
BO: I have no idea. For absolutely no reason at all, I just got dizzy.  
CHELSEA: Well, how do you feel now?  
BO: Fine. It's really weird. I got dizzy for about a minute, but now I'm fine.  
CHELSEA: I think we should get you checked out.  
BO: No, there's no need to do that, I'm fine.  
CHELSEA: If you were fine, you wouldn't have gotten dizzy. I'm taking you to get checked out.  
BO: Chelsea, I'm glad you're concerned for me, but honestly, I'm fine. It was just a little thing. It's over now. It's all god.  
CHELSEA: All right. But, I'm going to talk to Daniel about this while he's here today.  
BO: Look, there's really no need to involve Daniel in this. I'm fine.  
CHELSEA: I'm going to, anyway.  
BO: Jeez, you are just as stubborn as...  
CHELSEA: As who? You? Wonder where I got that from.  
Bo rolled his eyes.  
BO: All right, talk to Daniel if you want to. But, I really don't think it's anything to worry about.  
CHELSEA: We'll see.  
BO: And another thing, don't tell Hope about this.  
CHELSEA: Why not? She may not be your wife anymore, but she still cares about you.  
BO: She's got enough on her plate right now without worrying about me.  
CHELSEA: Dad, she'd want to know.  
BO: Just don't say anything about it. At least not in front of Hope.  
Bo was about to stand up, but Chelsea made him sit back down.  
CHELSEA: Where do you think you're going?  
BO: To get the napkin holders for the dinner table.  
Chelsea shook her head.  
CHELSEA: Nope. I'll go get those. You're staying there for a few minutes. And don't even think about moving until I get back.  
BO: I'm not gonna win with you, am I?  
Chelsea smiled.  
CHELSEA: Nope.  
Chelsea went to get the napkin holders. Bo wasn't alone for long, though. Hope, Aiden, Ciara and Chase, as well as Shawn-D, Belle and Claire soon showed up.  
SHAWN-D: Hey.  
BO: Hey, guys.  
Bo eased himself up, and hugged his two children. He then shook hands with Chase.  
BO: Chase, good to see ya.  
CHASE: You too, Mr. Brady.  
Bo and Aiden looked each other in the eye.  
BO: Aiden.  
AIDEN: Bo.  
They stared at each other for a moment.  
AIDEN: Look, I know this isn't the easiest situation...for either of us. But, it's Thanksgiving. So, I'm hoping that, while we may not be friends, we can at least be civil, if even polite. We are, after all, two reasonable adults here.  
BO: I was thinking the same thing.  
Aiden put his hand out. Bo shook it.  
HOPE (under her breath): Well, I've heard of Christmas miracles, but Thanksgiving?

SALEM P.D.  
Rafe was sitting behind his desk, talking on the phone.  
RAFE: Yeah, I know. But, Gabi's off with little Arianna to see our mother. Besides, they needed somebody to work the Thanksgiving shift. Yeah, I would've gone to the Brady Pub, where there's a huge celebration going on. If there's any time after my shift ends, I will. Okay. Well, have a good one, bro. You too, bye.  
Rafe hung up the phone. He went back to looking at some papers. He noticed an envelope sitting on the table.  
RAFE: Guess the lab boys must've put it on my desk before they left.  
He picked it up, opened it, and read the paper inside.  
RAFE: Oh, I don't believe this.

BRADY PUB  
By now, the rest of the people who were going to come had arrived at the Pub.  
CIARA: It's good to have you back in town.  
CLAIRE: It's good to be back, Aunt Ciara.  
Ciara chuckled.  
CIARA: You do realize that we're the same age, right? You don't have to call me Aunt Ciara.  
CLAIRE: Okay...Ciara.  
Ciara and Claire hugged. Meanwhile, Belle and Aiden were talking.  
BELLE: I promise, as soon as we get settled, I'll be in.  
Aiden chuckled.  
AIDEN: Belle, it's okay. I knew when I hired you that it would be a few weeks before you even started. Take as much time as you need.  
BELLE: Thanks. I'm just really excited. This is such an honor.  
AIDEN: Well, the honor is mine. It will be wonderful working with you.  
Daniel walked over to where Chelsea and Bo were sitting.  
DANIEL: Good to see you back, Bo. Chelsea.  
BO: You too.  
CHELSEA: Hi, Daniel. Do you think we could talk for a minute?  
Daniel pulled up a chair.  
DANIEL: Sure, what's up?  
CHELSEA: There's something my dad and I need to tell you about.  
DANIEL: Okay.  
BO: Chelsea, it's really not a big deal.  
CHELSEA: I just want to get Daniel's opinion on it.  
DANIEL: What's going on?  
CHELSEA: While we were getting today, dad had a...I don't really know how to describe it.  
BO: It was just a dizzy spell. I felt dizzy, so I grabbed a hold of the bar.  
CHELSEA: It was more than that. He was zoned out for a full minute.  
BO: It really wasn't that long.  
CHELSEA: Hey, you weren't the one watching it happen.  
DANIEL: Okay, okay. Here's what I'm thinking. Bo, you've been held captive for the last three years. For at least a year and a half, you were being tortured. The rest of the time, well, let's just say, I'm not sure that André DiMera kept you in the best living conditions.  
BO: It was better than the dungeon he kept me in before.  
DANIEL: None the less, Bo, none the less, I think that we should take you to get checked out.  
BO: Look, you think it's something that needs to be looked at, okay. But, not right now.  
DANIEL: The sooner the better.  
BO: Can we at least wait until after dinner?  
Hope had been walking by at that moment.  
HOPE: Wait for what?  
Chelsea, Bo and Daniel all looked at Hope.  
HOPE: What's going on?  
J.J. and Abby were talking.  
ABBY: I just can't believe that it's real.  
J.J.: I know, it's crazy. Abs, I'm so sorry for what you're going through.  
ABBY: I mean, he seemed like a nice guy, at first. And now, what am I gonna do about the baby?  
J.J.: Hey, you know mom and I will help in any way that we can.  
ABBY: Thanks, J.J. Anyway, how are you?  
J.J.: Oh, I'm okay.  
ABBY: Yeah?  
J.J.: Yeah. I'm surviving. I visit her grave every now and then, but I'm still trying to move on with my life.  
Abby and J.J. hugged. Meanwhile, Hope looked at Bo, Chelsea, and Daniel, then back to Bo.  
HOPE: What's going on?  
BO: Now's not the time...  
HOPE: You're not getting off the hook that easy. Now is the time.  
BO: Fancy Face...  
HOPE: No, Brady. We may not be married, but I do still care about you. Now tell me, what's going on?  
Bo sighed.  
BO: Okay, fine. I had a little dizzy spell earlier today while Chelsea and I were setting the table.  
HOPE: You did? Are you okay?  
BO: Yes. I'm fine. Chelsea thinks I should get checked out at the hospital, and Daniel was just agreeing with her.  
HOPE: I agree with her, as well.  
BO: And, I will, after dinner.  
HOPE: You promise?  
BO: Yes, I promise.  
HOPE: Okay. You tell me if he doesn't, Chelsea.  
CHELSEA: I will. But, I think he'll listen to me. I can be very persuasive.  
A few minutes later, everyone came together and sat at the table. The only one left standing was Caroline.  
CAROLINE: Thank you all for coming. It's tradition in our family that we go around the table and say what we're thankful for. Myself, I'm thankful that so many of my children are back home this year, and that the son I thought I had lost is back with me.  
Caroline sat. Bo, who was next to her, stood up.  
BO: Well, I definitely know what I'm thankful for. I'm thankful to be home, and reunited with my loving family.  
Bo sat, and Chelsea stood next.  
CHELSEA: I'm thankful to be back in Salem, and that my dad is back.  
As they went around the table, they soon came to Hope.  
HOPE: I am thankful for my husband. And for my wonderful family, and that my children are home to celebrate the holiday with us.  
AIDEN: And I am thankful for my amazing wife, and all the rest of this family who have welcomed me and my son in.  
Several more people gave thanks. Until, at last, they came around to the end of the table, where J.J. was sitting.  
J.J.: I'm thankful for family. For good friends. It's been a tough couple of months for us. But, I have a feeling that things are going to get better. So, I'm thankful for all that we have, especially the people that we have with us.  
JOEY: Amen.  
CAROLINE: Well, everybody, the food is on the counter, Please, help yourselves. There is more than enough for everybody.  
BO: Ma, you've made enough for a whole army, plus extras.  
CAROLINE: Well, looking around the room, we've got a full army.  
Everyone laughed. Bo and Caroline hugged.  
BO: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

DIMERA MANSION  
André sat in the DiMera study room.  
ANDRE: Well, by now, the Bradys are probably having a wonderful time with their Thanksgiving dinner. It's such a shame what's about to happen to them.  
André chuckled.

BRADY PUB  
By now, people had finished eating, and were just sitting around talking. Rafe entered the Pub.  
HOPE: Rafe, good to see you.  
RAFE: Yeah. You too. Happy Thanksgiving. Um, Aiden, could I speak with you outside?  
AIDEN: Sure.  
Aiden stood up.  
RAFE: Hope, you might want to come with. This concerns you, too.  
HOPE: Okay.  
Hope stood, and she and Aiden followed Rafe outside.  
AIDEN: What can I do for you?  
RAFE: I'm sorry to have to do this, but I'm gonna have to take you down to the station.  
AIDEN: Have I got a client waiting for me there?  
RAFE: Not this time.  
AIDEN: Okay. Then, why are you taking me to the station?  
RAFE: We got a tip off about the Necktie Killer the other day. I arrested the person in question, but something didn't seem right. So, we ran some D.N.A. tests on the tie that the Necktie Killer was going to use to strangle somebody.  
HOPE: What does this have to do with us?  
RAFE: Well, according to the results, your finger prints are all over the necktie.  
AIDEN: What?!  
HOPE: But...but that's impossible!  
RAFE: I don't really believe it either, but I have to follow protocol on this.  
HOPE: Rafe, come on. You know that Aiden would never do something like this! You know him!  
RAFE: I know. But Justin is having a field day with this. So, we just need to prove to him that you're not the killer.  
Aiden nodded.  
AIDEN: I understand.  
Aiden held out his hands.  
AIDEN: Go ahead. Take me in.  
Hope glared at Rafe, as he took out the handcuffs and put them on Aiden.  
RAFE: Aiden Jennings, you are arrested for suspicion of murder. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney.  
HOPE: He is an attorney!  
RAFE: If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?  
AIDEN: Yes.  
Rafe led Aiden to his police car.  
AIDEN: Don't worry, Hope. We'll get this all sorted out.  
A moment later, Bo walked out.  
BO: What's going on?  
HOPE: Aiden's been arrested.  
BO: What? Seriously?  
HOPE: Yes.  
BO: You want a ride down to the station?  
HOPE: That would be nice, yes.  
Bo and Hope went off together to Bo's car.


	10. Chapter 8

CAR  
HOPE: I just don't believe this.  
BO: I'm having a hard time believing it myself, Fancy Face.  
HOPE: They know Aiden. They know that he'd never kill anyone. He's not capable of something like that.  
BO: I can tell.  
HOPE: And Justin...oh, just wait until I see Justin again. I've got a few words for him, and they aren't "Happy Thanksgiving".  
BO: Yeah, what does Justin have to do with this, anyway? He's not suddenly become a cop, has he?  
HOPE: No, worse. He's the D.A.  
BO: What's wrong with that? Justin's always been a good lawyer.  
Hope nodded.  
HOPE: He was. But, he's let his position of authority at the D.A.'s office go to his head. Until a few days ago, he swore up and down that Chad DiMera was the Necktie Killer. He went after him with a passion I've only seen from Justin in the courtroom.  
BO: And now that he thinks Aiden is the killer, I'm sure he'll be just as eager to see his version of justice be served.

SALEM P.D.  
Aiden and Roman were sitting in Roman's office.  
ROMAN: Right. Let's get down to business.  
Aiden put his hand up.  
AIDEN: First of all, I'd like my phone call. Legally speaking, anyone who is placed under arrest is allowed at least one phone call.  
Roman nodded.  
ROMAN: All right. You got it. I want to do this by the book.  
AIDEN: That sounds great to me.  
Roman handed Aiden his desk phone. Aiden dialed a number. Then, he stood up.  
ROMAN: I have some papers to file. I'll be right back.  
Aiden nodded. Roman left.  
AIDEN: Hi, it's me. Sorry to interrupt you on Thanksgiving. Been better, to be honest. Look, I know we agreed that you would be coming out here after I got Belle settled in, but it looks like we're going to have to speed things up. I need legal representation. I've been arrested. I'll have Hope fill you in on the details. I just need a lawyer, and fast. Okay. I'll see you soon. Thanks, bye.  
Aiden hung up the phone. A few minutes later, Roman returned.  
ROMAN: Got that all finished?  
AIDEN: Yep. Just some business to take care of.  
ROMAN: Very good. You know, Aiden, I'm really sorry about this, especially that it had to be on Thanksgiving. But, some evidence has come to light that points to you as the Necktie Killer. And, as much as I have my doubts about the validity of this evidence...  
AIDEN: Hey, I understand. Rafe explained the whole situation to me on the way over here.  
ROMAN: Good. That's good. You know, we want to do this by the book.  
AIDEN: Of course. I couldn't agree more.  
ROMAN: I'm glad to hear that.  
AIDEN: Which is why I am invoking my right to remain silent until such time as my attorney is present.  
ROMAN: Well, of course, that is your right.  
Hope stormed in, followed shortly after by Bo.  
HOPE: What the hell is going on here?  
ROMAN: Hope, this is just a formality.  
HOPE: A formality? Handcuffing my husband and arresting him on Thanksgiving is a formality.  
ROMAN: We have evidence that points to him being the Necktie Killer.  
HOPE: But he isn't! You know he isn't, Roman!  
BO: Come on, bro. I barely know the guy and even I can tell that he's no murderer.  
ROMAN: Look, whether I think he is or isn't the murderer isn't the point. The evidence suggests that he is.  
HOPE: What evidence?  
ROMAN: We have a necktie. The same kind of tie that the killer used on his victims. It has Aiden's prints on it.  
HOPE: Impossible.  
ROMAN: I thought so, too.  
BO: Come on, bro. What happened to your detective skills? Surely even you know that this is circumstantial evidence, at best? I mean, come on, the killer can't be the only guy in this whole town who wears that specific brand of necktie.  
ROMAN: Of course I know that, and don't call me Shirley.  
BO: Besides that, you already have the killer. Weston, or whatever his name is.  
ROMAN: Like I said, it's just a formality at the moment. Once Aiden's lawyer gets here, I'm sure he'll clear this all up.  
Aiden handed Hope a piece of paper. She looked at it and nodded her head.  
HOPE: I assume Aiden is, rightfully, using his right to remain silent. This note is him giving me the number of his lawyer.  
Roman nodded.  
ROMAN: I see.  
HOPE: If you will excuse me, I will be right back.  
Hope was about to walk out, but was stopped by Justin.  
JUSTIN: Not so fast.  
Hope glared at Justin.  
HOPE: You. Do you even have any idea what you're doing?  
JUSTIN: Of course I do. I'm promoting justice.  
BO: By wrongfully accusing a man of murder? What the hell happened to you, man?  
JUSTIN: Bo, good to see you're back. But, I don't think that you have any business judging me, not when you ran out on your family for three years.  
HOPE: You have no right to speak to him that way!  
BO: What are you even here for?  
JUSTIN: I need to speak with you. All three of you.  
ROMAN: Mr. Jennings over here has decided to use his right to remain silent.  
JUSTIN: Good, then I can get through this with one less person interrupting me.  
HOPE: What do you want?  
JUSTIN: Roman, could you give us a moment alone, please?  
Roman shook his head.  
ROMAN: Mr. Jennings is in my custody.  
JUSTIN: I am the D.A., Roman. Do you really, really think that I would try anything?  
ROMAN: Never the less, I am doing this by the book. Mr. Jennings stays with me. Anything you have to say to him, you can say in front of me.  
JUSITN: Great. Let's invite the whole town, shall we?  
BO: Just say what you've gotta say and get it over with.  
JUSTIN: Well, the reason that I wanted to speak with the three of you in private, is because it affects yours and Hope's marriage.  
BO: Look, we've already been over this. I know that Hope and I are divorced.  
JUSTIN: Actually, you're not.  
HOPE: What?  
BO: Come on, man! Let's get real here for a second.  
HOPE: Of course Bo and I aren't married. I sent divorce papers.  
JUSTIN: Which were never signed, where they?  
HOPE: Well...no.  
BO: I never got them.  
HOPE: But I had divorced him on ground of abandonment. He didn't need to sign the papers. It was all above board.  
JUSTIN: I'm sure it was, and now it's not. For, you see, Bo did not abandon you, as you put it. He had no way of getting the papers because he was away on a trip that he thought would last for a month at most, but ended up being held captive for three years. I have this all on recording.  
HOPE: Were you eavesdropping?  
JUSTIN: It's not eavesdropping when it's in a public place.  
HOPE: It was still a private conversation!  
JUSTIN: Well, then, you shouldn't have had it in a public place.  
Bo moved towards Justin.  
BO: I swear to god, man...  
JUSTIN: You'll what? Hm? Let's think about this for a moment, Bo. Do you really want to threaten me, or even hint at threatening me in the middle of a police station, with your brother the police commissioner watching?  
Bo took a deep breath.  
BO (whispering): You're not worth it, anyway.  
JUSTIN: There we go. Now, onto the matter at hand. Hope, your marriage to Aiden is null and void. Your marriage to Bo, however, is quite intact. As such, neither of you have any business in this room with Mr. Jennings.  
HOPE: Actually, you will remember, Justin, that I am a detective for the Salem Police Department. Can you prove that I am not in here to assist Commissioner Brady with his questioning of Mr. Jennings?  
ROMAN; I believe that that is exactly what she's doing here, so she does have business in this room.  
BO: And can you also prove that I, a former detective and police commander, am not here to see about my chances of getting reinstated into the force? That I just happened to come talk to the Commissioner, here, and happened to walk in on he and Detective Brady questioning Mr. Jennings?  
HOPE: Gotta admit, it sounds to me like we both have business in this room.  
Justin took a deep breath.  
JUSTIN: Fine. Stay, if you must. It doesn't really matter, anyway. We have enough proof to put Aiden Jennings away for a while.  
MAN (V.O.): I doubt that.  
A young man wearing a suit, with jet black hair, and a briefcase in hand, walked in the door. When he spoke, it was with an English accent.  
JUSTIN: And just who are you?  
MAN: Oh, you don't recognize me? Of course you don't. Why would you? It's been ages since we last met. I'm Aiden Jennings' attourney.  
Aiden stood.  
AIDEN: Thank you for coming so quickly.  
The man put a hand to his lips.  
MAN: I'm taking care of this. Now, Mr. Kiriakis...  
JUSTIN: That's District Attorney Kiriakis, to you.  
MAN: Fair enough. D.A. Kiriakis, it is impossible for my client to be guilty. For one thing, you have already caught the killer, a Mr. Benjamin Weston, I believe. There is, of course, the matter of the tie with my client's fingerprints on it. Which would look incriminating, of course, were it not for the fact that you've overlooked a major detail. If you had double checked, you would see that, while my client does have a few prints on this, but the majority of the prints on here belong to a Mr. Weston. I believe that Mr. Weston is already in custody, is he not?  
JUSTIN: He is.  
MAN: Then, you have no case against Mr. Jennings. By the way, I have seen Mr. Jennings wear that exact same tie on a number of occasions. The reason for it having a few prints is because it belongs to him, not because he used it to kill anybody. Again, no case. My client is free to go.  
JUSTIN: Just one thing...who are you?  
The man smiled, pulled out a business card, and handed it to Justin.  
MAN: Andrew Donovan, attourney at law, and co-founder of J. & D. : J. & D. Law?  
ANDREW: Jennings and Donovan. Aiden's idea. We went to law school together, then didn't hear from each other for a while. Just recently, we got back in contact, and here I am, ready to start a partnership with him.  
HOPE: So, what does this mean for Belle?  
AIDEN: Belle will still be working for us. She got an apprenticeship, after all. She knew from the beginning that she'd be working under both of us.  
Aiden and Andrew shook hands.  
AIDEN: Thanks for coming out here so quickly.  
ANDREW: No problem.  
Justin coughed.  
JUSTIN: Well...since it seems that everything has been cleared up, I guess I will be going.  
ROMAN: I think that would be wise.  
Justin nodded and walked out.  
BO: Andrew, good to see you.  
ANDREW: Good to see you, too, Uncle Bo. Aunt Hope.  
Andrew shook Bo's hand, and hugged Hope.  
HOPE: Is what Justin said true?  
ANDREW: How do you mean?  
HOPE: About my marriage to Aiden being invalid?  
ANDREW: I dunno. I'd have to look into it. If I'm correct, you divorced Uncle Bo on grounds of abandonment. And, as it turns out, he didn't actually abandon you at all. Since papers were never filled out, I'd say that yes, any marriage you had afterwords would be invalid.  
HOPE: Oh...I see.  
ANDREW: Sorry.  
HOPE: It's not your fault. It's the law. And, things have been...interesting lately, to say the least.  
AIDEN: They certainly have.  
BO: So, is there anything else I can do?  
HOPE: Get checked out.  
Bo rolled his eyes.  
BO: Fancy Face...  
HOPE: Bo, get yourself checked out. I don't know what's going on with those dizzy spells you've had, but it's something.  
ROMAN: Dizzy spells?  
BO: I had one earlier today while Chelsea and I were setting up the Pub for dinner.  
ROMAN: Well, I agree with Hope, little brother. You should get checked out.  
BO: Okay...fine. It's already three against one, anyway.  
HOPE: Do you need a ride to the hospital?  
BO: No. Besides, you rode with me over here.  
HOPE: I know. That's why I asked.  
BO: I'm okay. Besides, I should leave you two alone to talk about things.  
Bo gave Roman a salute.  
BO: See ya later, bro.  
Roman nodded. Bo and Andrew shook hands.  
BO: Talk to you soon.  
ANDREW: You can count on it.  
Bo turned to leave.  
AIDEN: Bo.  
Bo turned back.  
BO: Yeah?  
AIDEN: Thank you for what you did back there.  
BO: Don't mention it.  
Aiden held out his hand. Bo shook it.  
BO: I'll let you all know about the tests once they come in.  
HOPE: You'd better.  
Bo nodded and left.

DIMERA MANSION  
André was on the phone.  
ANDRE: Well, what the hell happened?!  
Pause.  
ANDRE: Oh, yes. The damned Donovan lawyer.  
Pause. André took a deep breath.  
ANDRE: No, no. I'll take care of it. It's what I should've done in the first place.  
André hung up the phone. He scanned through it until he found a picture of Hope and Aiden at the Java Cafe.  
ANDRE: Well Mr. Jennings and Detective Brady, now that you know your marriage is over, it's time to have some real fun.  
André chuckled darkly.  
ANDRE: They won't know what's coming for them.

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
Bo sat in Daniel's office.  
BO: Not that I don't like you or anything, Daniel, but is there some reason Kayla couldn't do this?  
DANIEL: Well, there is the fact that she's your sister.  
BO: And?  
DANIEL: And as doctors, we shouldn't treat family.  
BO: But, if that were true, Kayla wouldn't be able to treat half of her patients.  
DANIEL: Regardless, I will be overseeing your treatment from here on out, whatever form that that takes.  
BO: Great. So, do you have any idea of what's going on with me?  
DANIEL: An idea, yes. But, I need to have it proven before I can prescribe any treatments for it. I just want to double check a few things. When you were being held captive, I'm guessing your nutritional habits weren't that great.  
BO: Not by choice.  
DANIEL: I'm not saying that.  
BO: It was passable. Mostly meat and potatoes. Water. As a rare treat, I would occasionally get a half-empty bag of chips.  
DANIEL: The living conditions?  
BO: On Melaswen, they were okay, since it's identical to Salem. But, in the DiMera Mansion, they were pretty horrible.  
DANIEL: Okay. And the methods of torture?  
BO: Usually either a whip, a tazer, or on occasion, I would get injected with truth serum.  
Daniel nodded as he wrote all this down.  
DANIEL: And these dizzy spells, I know one happened earlier today. But, that isn't the first one, is it?  
Bo took a deep breath.  
BO: No. I've had them a few other times.  
DANIEL: How many?  
BO: I don't even know. A handful of times while I was on Melaswen, and about three times since I got back.  
DANIEL: And you only got back a few weeks ago.  
BO: Beginning of the month.  
Daniel wrote more down.  
DANIEL: Right. I'm gonna have you get a head CT, a full body scan, and quite possibly a few other tests.  
BO: Okay. So...if this is what you think it is, how serious will this be?  
DANIEL: Let's just wait until we have the results to worry about that.


	11. Chapter 9

BRADY HOME  
It is now the next morning. Aiden and Hope had just gone out to have breakfast. When they came home, they noticed something unusual.  
HOPE: That's odd. The front door's open.  
AIDEN: I'm sure we closed it when we left.  
HOPE: I know we did. But, there's no signs of forced entry.  
AIDEN: Well, both the kids have a key. Maybe they got home early from spending the night at Shawn and Belle's.  
HOPE: Maybe.  
Hope and Aiden walked inside.  
HOPE: Ciara?  
AIDEN: Chase?  
Each looked around the house for their respective child, but neither was anywhere to be found. Then, Hope noticed something else.  
HOPE: Where is it?  
AIDEN: Where's what?  
Hope went over to the fireplace mantle.  
HOPE: My picture. The picture of me, Bo, Shawn and Ciara.  
AIDEN: It's not on the mantle?  
HOPE: I'm looking at the mantle right now, and it's not there.  
Aiden walked over to the other side of the mantle. He looked around for a moment, and then held up a picture.  
AIDEN: Is this it?  
Hope looked.  
HOPE: That's exactly it. What was it doing over here?  
Aiden shrugged.  
AIDEN: Maybe you moved it and just forgot.  
HOPE: No, I wouldn't have moved it. I keep all of the pictures on this mantle in order of when they were taken. This was taken when Ciara was first born. Why is it over here by Ciara's 8th grade graduation picture?  
AIDEN: I have no idea.  
HOPE: Well, neither do I. But, this is very strange. First, the front door is open, when we know that we closed it. Then, one of my pictures is moved on the mantle...what if someone's here? In the house with us?  
AIDEN: I will admit, it is odd. But, I don't think anyone's broken in. You said yourself that there were no signs of a break in.  
HOPE: It wouldn't hurt to check, though.  
Aiden nodded.  
AIDEN: All right.  
HOPE: I'll get the upstairs, you check down here.  
AIDEN: You got it, detective.

DIMERA MANSION  
André sat at a desk, holding a tablet in his hands. He grinned, as he watched what was on it. The subjects of his amusement were currently Hope and Aiden, who were blissfully unaware they were being watched, but well aware that someone had been there. André chuckled to himself.  
ANDRE: Now, this is reality television. Smile for the cameras, darlings.  
André touched the screen, and the video got smaller. Beside it were several other videos.  
ANDRE: But whom to watch next?

HORTON HOME  
J.J. and Claire were in the garage of the Horton home. J.J. had set up a small speaker and plugged his guitar into it. He'd also gotten two microphones.  
J.J.: Trust me, the acoustics are way better in here.  
CLAIRE: Cool.  
Claire put down her backpack and pulled out a sheet of paper.  
CLAIRE: You know this one?  
She handed J.J. some paper.  
J.J.: Of course. I love it.  
CLAIRE: Awesome.  
J.J. picked up a nearby electric guitar and started strumming. He and Claire walked to their respective microphones.  
CLAIRE (singing): I still don't know what I was waiting for and my time was running wild; a million dead-end streets.  
J.J. (singing): Every time I thought I'd got it made, it seemed the taste was not so sweet. So I turned myself to face me, but I've never caught a glimpse...  
CLAIRE (singing): Of how the others must see the faker. I'm much too fast to take that test.  
CLAIRE & J.J. (singing): Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes!  
J.J. (singing): Turn and face the strange...  
CLAIRE & J.J. (singing): Ch-ch-Changes!  
CLAIRE (singing): Don't wanna to be a richer man.  
CLAIRE & J.J. (singing): Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes!  
CLAIRE (singing): Turn and face the strange...  
CLAIRE & J.J. (singing): Ch-ch-Changes!  
J.J. (singing): It's gonna have to be a different man. Time may change me...  
CLAIRE (singing): ...but I can't trace time. I watch the ripples change their size, but never leave the stream of warm impermanence and...  
J.J. (singing): So the days float through my eyes, but the days still seem the same.  
CLAIRE (singing): And these children that you spit on, as they try to change their worlds...  
J.J. (singing): Are immune to your consultations. They're quite aware of what they're going through...

MONTAGE  
As J.J. and Claire continue singing, we see several Salemites doing various things. Such as Aiden and Andrew showing Belle to her new office.  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing, vo): Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes!  
CLAIRE (singing): Turn and face the strange...  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing, vo): Ch-ch-Changes!  
J.J. (singing, vo): Don't tell them to grow up and out of it.  
Max at the Brady Pub, tending bar. Chelsea comes in and kisses him.  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing, vo): Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes!  
J.J. (singing, vo): Turn and face the strange...  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing, vo): Ch-ch-Changes!  
CLAIRE (singing, vo): Where's your shame? You've left us up to our necks in it. Time may change me...  
J.J. (singing, vo): ...but you can't trace time.  
Daniel at the hospital looking over a sheet of paper.  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing, vo): Strange fascination, fascinating me.  
Ciara and Chase going to see a movie together.  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing, vo): Changes are taking the pace I'm going thru. Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes!  
J.J. (singing, vo): Turn and face the strange...  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing, vo): Ch-ch-Changes!  
Belle comes home and helps Shawn-D unpack. The two hug, kiss, and do their signature dip.  
CLAIRE (singing, vo): Look out you Rock'n' rollers!  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing, vo): Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes!  
CLAIRE (singing, vo): Turn and face the strange...  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing, vo): Ch-ch-Changes!  
J.J. (singing, vo): Pretty soon now you're gonna get older.

SALEM P.D.  
As the song ends, we transition to the Salem P.D., where Bo is putting things back into his office. Large boxes fill his desk.  
J.J. (singing, vo): Time may change me...  
CLAIRE (singing, vo): ...but I can't trace time  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing, vo): I said that time may change me...but I can't trace time  
Just as Bo emptied a box and put it down, Hope knocked on the door.  
HOPE: Hey.  
Bo looked up.  
BO: Hey, come on in.  
Hope walked in and she and Bo hugged.  
HOPE: Rafe told me you were back on the force.  
BO: Yeah. Roman updated me on all of the stuff that's been going on lately. Clyde Weston, the Necktie Killer, some psycho nephew of Victor's.  
HOPE: It's been busy as ever around here.  
BO: I can see that it definitely hasn't calmed down any since I was away.  
HOPE: Well, I'm glad you're back.  
BO: Yeah?  
HOPE: Yeah.  
BO: Cool. So, I heard J.J. was thinking of being a cop. What's up with that?  
HOPE: Whatever it was, he's gotten over it. He's gone back to wanting to be a musician. He's even trying make a band, and trying to recruit our granddaughter for it.  
BO: Hm. I see. What does she play?  
HOPE: I don't know that she plays anything, but she can sing. She's a great singer.  
BO: Well, I hope to hear her, sometime.  
HOPE: I'm sure you will. So, onto you. How was your visit with Daniel?  
Bo rolled his eyes, and tried to hide it.  
BO: He didn't tell me anything, he just took a bunch of tests. X-rays, blood tests, CTs. Those flashcards that someone poured ink over that you're supposed to say looks like a bird. I'm kidding about that last one.  
HOPE: I figured.  
BO: Yeah, Marlena was actually the one who gave me that test.  
HOPE: Well, they wouldn't have done it if they thought it wouldn't help.  
BO: I guess.  
HOPE: Any word on when you'll get the results?  
BO: A day or two.  
HOPE: Do you mind if I come with you?  
BO: I don't mind. But, what about Aiden?  
HOPE: Aiden understand how important you are to me. He also understands that this situation is anything other than normal.  
BO: Well, normal never really was our style, was it, Fancy Face?  
Bo and Hope chuckled.  
HOPE: No, not really. But, whatever happens, we'll face it together.  
BO: You really mean that?  
HOPE: Of course I do.  
BO: Cool.  
Bo's phone buzzed. He picked it up.  
BO: Text from Daniel. He's got the results. Says he'd like me to drop by tonight.  
HOPE: All right. We get off at the same time, so I'll be ready when you are.  
BO: Okay.  
Hope turned to walk out.  
BO: Hope...  
She turned back.  
HOPE: Yes?  
BO: Thanks.  
Hope smiled and walked out.

DIMERA MANSION  
André was sitting in the living room, watching the monitors on his tablet.  
ANDRE: The people of Salem are so boring. Perhaps we'll have to spice things up a bit. But with whom...?  
Harold knocked, walked in, and bowed.  
HAROLD: Mr. DiMera?  
André put down the tablet.  
ANDRE: Oh, what is it now, Harold?  
HAROLD: Your father wishes to speak with you. You and Chad. The younger Mr. DiMera is already up there.  
André stood.  
ANDRE: Thank you.  
He walked up the stairs and into Stefano's bedroom. Chad sat in a chair in the corner.  
ANDRE: Hello, father.  
Stefano made a small effort to get up, but didn't have the strength. André knelt at his bedside, took Stefano's hand in his and patted it.  
ANDRE: Save your strength.  
STEFANO: André...it is good that you are here...both of you.  
Stefano coughed.  
CHAD: Well, you did summon us here, after all. What the hell do you want?  
André briefly turned to Chad.  
ANDRE: Show respect, would you? This is our father.  
He turned back to Stefano.  
ANDRE: Of course I'm here, father. You know that I will come whenever you call.  
STEFANO: You...you're a good boy.  
He coughed some more.  
STEFANO: You have always been...my most faithful...son.  
ANDRE: And I always shall be.  
André kissed Stefano's forehead.  
STEFANO: There...is not much time left.  
ANDRE: What on earth are you talking about, father?  
STEFANO: My...  
He had a short coughing fit.  
STEFANO: My time is almost up.  
ANDRE: Surely that can't be.  
STEFANO: Sad to say...it is. Which is why...I've called you both here.  
ANDRE: Anything you ask, it shall be done.  
Stefano attempted to squeeze André's hand. He barely managed it.  
STEFANO: You...are a good...a great son.  
Chad rolled his eyes.  
STEFANO: André...I need you...to look after the business.  
ANDRE: Of course, father.  
STEFANO: You and Chad...you are all that is left...  
He coughed again.  
STEFANO: ...of my blood line. At least...until Giovanni...comes of age.  
André nodded.  
STEFANO: You must...continue to train Chad...  
More coughing followed.  
STEFANO: And when the time comes...train Giovanni...and Sydney.  
ANDRE: Of course, father.  
STEFANO: Boys...come closer.  
André inched closer, gripping Stefano's hand in his. Chad stood, but made no effort to move any closer than he had to.  
STEFANO: My...sons...my beautiful sons...mi famiglia...I...  
Stefano had one last small coughing fit, took a deep breath, and shut his eyes. While Chad's face showed mild concern, André looked grim.  
ANDRE: Get Rolf.  
CHAD: What?  
ANDRE: Dr. Rolf. The man in the lab coat down in the basement. Go get him.  
Chad's face showed a look of confusion. André stood. He inched towards Chad in a threatening manner.  
ANDRE: Now dammit! Or have I got to do everything myself?  
CHAD: All right! All right! I'm going!  
Chad hurriedly made his way out of the room and down the stairs. André turned to Stefano, and stood, looking down at his body.  
ANDRE: It can't end like this. You're not leaving me like this, old man.  
A short while later, André and Chad stood outside of Stefano's bedroom. André was pacing, while Chad was doing his best to stay out of the way. After a short amount of time, Dr. Rolf walked out of the room. André and Chad looked up.  
ANDRE: Well?  
Rolf shook his head.  
ROLF: Zere was nothing I could do. He iz gone.  
Chad looked down at the floor. André's expression went from anger to blank.  
ANDRE: Excuse me.  
André went into the bedroom. He walked over to Stefano's bedside radio and turned it on. By chance, it happened to be playing Stefano's favorite song, _March of the Valkyries_. Andre took Stefano by the hand, and kissed him on the forehead.  
ANDRE: I shall carry on your legacy, father. We've had the best of times, haven't we? The best.  
André shut his eyes and took a deep breath.  
ANDRE: Farewell, father.  
André looked at his father's hand. He saw the Phoenix ring, where it always sat. Very carefully, he took the ring off of Stefano's hand. He placed the ring on his own hand.  
ANDRE: The king is dead. Long live the Phoenix.  
André turned off the radio, blew his father one last kiss, then he turned and walked out of the room.

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
Bo and Hope sat in a hospital room. Daniel walked in, holding a file in his hands.  
DANIEL: Thanks for coming on such short notice.  
BO: No problem.  
DANIEL: Well, I ran the tests...  
BO: What did you find?  
DANIEL: You have a brain tumor.  
BO: Okay. Well, you can take it out, right?  
Daniel shook his head.  
DANIEL: If I even tried to, you would be a vegetable. It's in one of the most hard to get to places in the brain. There's no way to get to it without giving you considerable brain damage.  
Bo took a deep breath. Hope took his hand.  
HOPE: Why does it sound like that's not all you found?  
DANIEL: Because it's not.  
BO: What else could there possibly be?  
DANIEL: The full body scan showed that the tumor is cancerous...and it has spread to a few other parts of the body, namely your chest.  
Bo blinked hard.  
BO: And there's nothing you can do?  
DANIEL: There may be some things I can give you to keep you comfortable. But, nothing can make the brain tumor go away.  
Bo wiped his eyes. Hope put an arm around him.  
BO: So...so how long have I got?  
DANIEL: There's really no accurate way of telling.  
BO: How long?  
DANIEL: Three months.  
HOPE: What?  
DANIEL: And that's at the most.  
BO: I...  
DANIEL: I would need to do a second CT and body scan, but because of the size of the tumor, and the spread of the cancer from it, I'd say you have three months, at most. It could be as few as two weeks.  
Bo put his head in his hands.


	12. Chapter 10

BRADY PUB  
Bo and Hope had gathered Max, Chelsea, Shawn-D, Belle, Claire and Ciara at the Pub. He had just finished telling them the results of his CT scan.  
SHAWN-D: A tumor?  
Bo nodded.  
BO: In my brain, yes.  
CHELSEA: But...but, they can fix that, right? I mean, people have gotten brain surgeries. Couldn't Daniel fix it?  
Bo shook his head.  
BO: Not this one.  
CIARA: Why not?  
BO: The tumor is in such a position that, even if Daniel or any other doctor, were to try and take it out, it would leave me severely brain damaged. I would be a vegetable.  
A collective deep breath was taken by everybody in the room.  
MAX: So, what can be done?  
BO: Not much, I'm afraid. The most Daniel can do is keep me comfortable until...you know.  
BELLE: There's nothing else they can do?  
BO: Nope. I only have, at least, two weeks left.  
CLAIRE: Two weeks?!  
BO: At the least. But, it could be as long as three months.  
CIARA: That's it?  
Bo nodded.  
CIARA: How...how can you be so calm about this? Aren't you upset? I know I would be pissed if I just got this kind of news. Aren't you angry, or anything?  
BO: I was. When I first found out, late last night, I was mad as hell. But, then I realized something. I only have two weeks to three months left here. That is an incredibly short amount of time. And, anger is not what I want to feel with what little time I have left. I want to spend whatever time I have left with the people I love and care about.  
Ciara began crying. She wasn't the only one.  
CIARA: This sucks! This totally sucks!  
Ciara got up and ran out. Claire followed shortly after. Hope and Belle stood.  
HOPE: Ciara...  
BELLE: Claire...  
Shawn-D stood up, and put a hand on Hope and Belle's shoulders.  
SHAWN-D: You guys, stay. I've got them.  
BELLE: Are you sure?  
SHAWN-D: Yeah, I'm sure.  
Shawn-D kissed Belle.  
SHAWN-D: I love you.  
BELLE: I love you, too.  
Belle sat back down. Shawn-D and Hope hugged.  
HOPE: Thank you.  
SHAWN-D: No problem. I'll be back in a bit.  
Shawn-D walked out.

DONOVAN MANOR – LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA  
Kimberly was on the phone.  
KIMBERLY: Okay. See you then.  
She hung up the phone. Shane had been in the shower. He walked into the room, with a towel around his lower half.  
SHANE: Who was that?  
KIMBERLY: That was my brother. Look, we have to get a plane ticket. Or, at least, I do.  
SHANE: Why, what's going on?  
KIMBERLY: We have to go back to Salem. Bo's dying.

BRADY PUB  
Roman and Kayla had come to the Pub, and had been updated on the situation.  
ROMAN: Has anyone spoken to Ma about this?  
Bo nodded.  
BO: I told her right before we had the kids come over. She took it...well, how do you think she took it?  
KAYLA: Her son that she thought she'd lost has been found, only to find out that he's dying. Probably about as well as any of us are taking it.  
ROMAN: I spoke with Kim on the way over here. She and Shane are making arrangements to come out, as soon as possible.  
BO: Good. It'll be good to see them.  
MAX: Has anyone heard from Steve?  
KAYLA: Last I heard, he was on his way back to Melaswen. He said he'd explain more when he got back, but that he had to go as soon as he could.  
HOPE: That was nearly two weeks ago that he left.  
KAYLA: I just hope he gets back soon.  
The door to the Brady Pub opened.  
MAN: He's not the only one.  
Everyone turned to see Frankie walk in.  
KAYLA: Frankie.  
FRANKIE: Hey, sis.

SALEM PLACE  
Shawn-D had followed Ciara to Salem Place. She was sitting at one of the tables, trying not to be seen. Shawn-D walked up to the table, and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up.  
CIARA: Hey.  
SHAWN-D; Hey. You wanna talk?  
At first Ciara shrugged. Then, she slowly nodded. Shawn-D took a seat next to hers.  
SHAWN-D: That was some intense stuff back there.  
Ciara nodded.  
CIARA: That's an understatement.  
SHAWN-D: Yeah, I guess it is.  
CIARA: This sucks. This really, really sucks.  
SHAWN-D: I know.  
CIARA: It's not just that it sucks. It's not fair! I mean, we just got dad back.  
Shawn-D nodded.  
CIARA: For three years, we had no idea where he was, when he was coming home. If he was ever coming home. And even though mom never gave up on him, she had to move on. And I get that. I don't blame her. But...  
Ciara let out a sob. Shawn-D rubbed her back.  
SHAWN-D: I know. It sucks. You lost so much time with him. We all did.  
CIARA: It's not just that. After a while, once mom met Aiden and they fell in love, and it felt like we could have a proper family again...I hate myself for this.  
SHAWN-D: For what?  
CIARA: I gave up on him. I gave up on dad. I didn't think he was ever coming home, so I gave up on him.  
Ciara stood up, and turned away. Shawn-D stood up and put his hand back on her shoulder.  
SHAWN-D: Ciara, you had no way of knowing the truth. None of us did.  
Ciara turned back to look at Shawn-D, tears falling from her eyes.  
CIARA: But we should have. We should have known. I shouldn't have given up on him. And then, when he finally came back, I was so mad at him. I didn't even want to speak to him for the first week he was back. I just couldn't understand why he would do this to us. Then, I found out the truth. And, at first, I didn't believe it. But then, I did. And I was so glad he came back. And now...I'm gonna lose him all over again. And I don't want to. I don't want to lose my dad again!  
Shawn-D wrapped his arms around Ciara and held her tight.

BRADY PUB  
Bo, Roman, Max and Kayla stood up. Each took turns hugging Frankie.  
MAX: Hey, bro.  
FRANKIE: Hey.  
BO: How did you know to come out here?  
FRANKIE: How do you think?  
Bo gave a knowing nod.  
BO: Ma.  
Frankie nodded back.  
FRANKIE: She's worried about you, bro. We all are.  
BO: Well, I'm glad you're here. All of you.  
STEVE: Not quite all of us.  
Everyone turned again as Steve walked in.  
STEVE: Not yet.  
Kayla ran to Steve.  
KAYLA: You made it!  
STEVE: I told you I'd be back, sweetness.  
Steve and Kayla kissed.  
KAYLA: Where were you?  
STEVE: I had to go back to Melaswen. I wouldn't have been gone so long, but we ran into a bit of trouble. Now, I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up, but Bo's not the only one I found on Melaswen.  
BELLE: Who else did you find?  
Will walked in.  
WILL: Hi, everybody.

HORTON HOME  
There was a knock at the door. J.J., who had been strumming his guitar, set it down, and walked over to the door. He opened it, and before he knew what was happening, Paige had flung her arms around him.  
J.J.: What the...  
PAIGE: Surprise. I'm home.  
Paige kissed J.J.

BRADY PUB  
Everybody took turns hugging Will.  
HOPE: How is this possible?  
WILL: That's what I'd like to know. Uncle Steve says that you guys thought I was dead.  
KAYLA; Your dad saw your body. So did Sonny...oh my gosh! Does Lucas know? Does Sami?  
WILL: Yeah, I called my mom, and Uncle Steve took me to see my dad a little bit ago.  
HOPE: I'm surprised he let you out of his sight.  
Lucas walked in.  
LUCAS: I didn't. Hi, everybody.  
BO: Hey, Lucas.  
Lucas and Frankie shook hands.  
LUCAS: Good to see you back in town.  
FRANKIE: You too.  
Will and Lucas hugged.  
LUCAS: This is unbelievable. You're home. You're safe.  
WILL: Yeah. It's great to be back, and to see everybody.  
STEVE: I agree. It's great to see all you guys. Bo, Roman, the Max man, Francois, sweetness. But, why do I get the feeling that this isn't just a typical family reunion?  
Bo filled in Steve about the results of his test.  
STEVE: Dammit!  
BO: That was my initial reaction, as well.  
STEVE: I don't believe this! When I get my hands on DiMera...  
Bo put a hand on Steve's shoulder.  
BO: Steve, don't. I know me telling you not to do anything is like talking to a wall, but just listen to me for once and don't.  
STEVE: What? You expect me to just do nothing?!  
BO: I expect you to be around. I want to spend my last few weeks with the people that mean the most to me. I can't do that if you're in a jail cell.  
STEVE: What does me being in a jail cell have anything to do with it?  
BO: I'd probably be in one, too. Because I would try to stop you.  
Steve and Bo shared a bro hug.

HORTON HOME  
J.J. brought Paige inside.  
J.J.: Is it really you?  
PAIGE: Yes, it's really me.  
J.J.: So, I'm not dreaming. Because, I've had a million dreams that start out just like this. Dreams where you've come back and showed up at my door, and then I wake up.  
PAIGE: J.J., you don't have to wake up, because this isn't a dream.  
J.J. touched Paige's cheek. Paige touched his.  
PAIGE: Does this feel real?  
Paige kissed J.J., who then nodded.  
J.J.: Oh, yeah. It feels to real. But..but it can't be. I mean, how can it possibly be real? You...you died. You were dead, Paige. I found your body. They buried you.  
PAIGE: No. No, I'm not dead. I'm alive.  
J.J.: But how is this possible? How is it possible that I saw your body. I found your dead body lying on the floor of your dorm. How is it possible that you're here, right now, with me?  
PAIGE: I have no idea. I really don't.  
J.J.: And if you're not dead, where have you been? Paige, it's been a few months since we buried you.  
PAIGE: You're gonna want to sit down. This story gets kind of crazy.  
Paige and J.J. sat down on the couch.  
PAIGE: The last thing I remember before I...disappeared, was that I was getting ready to take a shower. I heard a knock on the door, so I went to open it, and then I blacked out.  
J.J.: Wait, someone drugged you?!  
PAIGE: I guess. I don't know. All I know is that when I woke up, I was still in Salem...or, something like Salem.  
J.J.: What do you mean?  
PAIGE: Well, it was Salem University, but I was the only one there. The whole campus was deserted. Teachers, students, nobody was there at all. Then, I left to try and find you. Only, you weren't home. Neither was your mom or Abby. Nobody was home at all. The whole town was deserted. Well...mostly deserted.  
J.J.: What do you mean, "mostly"?  
PAIGE: I went for a walk in Salem Place. And, I found this man there. He said he was your mom's cousin, and that his name was Bo.  
J.J.: You were on Melaswen.  
PAIGE: What?  
J.J.: Melaswen. It's an island that's identical in every way to Salem just off the coast of the Bermuda Triangle.  
PAIGE: I see. Bo said something about it being an island. Then, a few weeks later, we met another of your cousins, Will.  
J.J.: Will's alive, too?  
Paige nodded.  
PAIGE: Then, some guy with an eye patch who called himself your uncle..  
J.J.: Uncle Steve?! Uncle Steve's the one who rescued you?  
PAIGE: Yeah.  
J.J.: This is awesome!  
PAIGE: It's really weird.  
J.J.: I know. But, all that matters is that you're alive again. You're here, with me, and you're alive.  
J.J. and Paige kissed.

BRADY HOME  
It is now a few days later. There was a knock at the door. Ciara walked down the stairs.  
CIARA: I'll get it.  
She opened the door.  
CIARA: Aunt Kim! Uncle Shane!  
SHANE: Hello, dear.  
KIMBERLY: Hi, Ciara!  
Ciara hugged Shane and Kimberly.  
CIARA: It's so good to see you guys!  
KIMBERLY: Good to see you, too. Where's your dad?  
Bo walked in from the kitchen.  
BO: Right here.  
Kimberly walked over to Bo and gave him a big hug.  
KIMBERLY: Hey, brother.  
BO: Hey, Kimber. Glad you came.  
Bo and Shane shook hands.  
BO: Partner.  
SHANE: Partner.  
KIMBERLY: We had to come. As soon as we heard the news, I had Shane book the flight. You look good.  
BO: I'm surviving. It's good that you guys came. Everyone else seems to have come, as well.

BRADY PUB  
Hope and Aiden were sitting down, eating breakfast.  
HOPE: Thanks for meeting with me.  
AIDEN: No problem. What's going on?  
Hope let out a deep sigh.  
HOPE: A lot.  
Aiden nodded.  
AIDEN: I can imagine. How's Bo?  
HOPE: He's okay. He...we're all surviving.  
AIDEN: All you can do.  
HOPE: I just...I'm sorry that I dragged you into all of this.  
AIDEN: Hey, detective, you didn't drag me into anything. I knew I was getting into something complex when we first got together.  
HOPE: Yeah, but nothing like this.  
AIDEN: I'll admit that it wasn't what I envisioned. But, I love you. And I want...all I want...is what is best for you. Whatever makes you happy.  
HOPE: And what if I don't know what that is?  
AIDEN: Then, I will let you figure that out. And, I will be here to help and support you in whatever decision you make.  
HOPE: Thank you.  
AIDEN: And, thanks again for letting Chase sleep over the other night.  
HOPE: Are you kidding? I love having Chase over, and you know Ciara does.  
AIDEN: Well, he loves it, too.  
HOPE: Look...I love you.  
AIDEN: I love you, too.  
HOPE: Please, let me finish.  
AIDEN: Sorry.  
HOPE: I love you, but I don't know what's going to happen over the next few weeks. So much is just confusing and up in the air right now, and I hate that I'm putting you in the middle of all of that.  
AIDEN: Like I just said, I don't mind at all. I would do anything for you.  
HOPE: I know. And I appreciate that. But, it's not fair to you for me to keep you waiting for something that might never come to be. Because, I honestly have no idea what's going to happen.


	13. Chapter 11

BRADY PUB  
AIDEN: Detective Brady, I know. Trust me, I understand. And, I am willing to give you as much space and time as you need. And, if nothing ever happens, that's okay. Look, whatever you decide, I'll respect that decision.  
HOPE: Thank you.  
Hope looked at her watch.  
HOPE; I should go. I have a few last minute things to pick up for tonight.  
Hope and Aiden stood up.  
HOPE: I will be seeing you tonight, right?  
AIDEN: Yep. Chase and I will be there.  
HOPE: Good.  
Hope and Aiden hugged.  
HOPE: Thanks again.  
AIDEN: No problem.  
Hope left.

HORTON HOME  
J.J. and Paige were helping Jennifer put up the decorations.  
J.J.: I just can't believe this is real.  
PAIGE: I know. I've been waiting so long to see you again.  
J.J.: I know that this is weird, and that we have no control over it, but I feel kinda bad that I haven't gotten you a Christmas present.  
PAIGE: J.J., please, don't worry about it. I only got back a couple days ago. Neither of us have had any time to go to the store.  
Paige finished hanging up the tinsel. She walked over to J.J. and wrapped her arms around him.  
PAIGE: Besides, being back in Salem, and getting to see you again, that is the only thing that I could have wished for this Christmas. And, it already came true.  
J.J.: You are really amazing, you know that?  
J.J. and Paige kissed.

BRADY HOME  
Chelsea, Max and Bo were putting up decorations around the house. Kim and Shane had left by this point to go see Andrew and Theresa. Chelsea and Max were putting up the mistletoe and talking in hushed voices.  
CHELSEA (whispering): Should we tell him?  
MAX (whispering): You said we would wait until tonight.  
CHELSEA (whispering): Yeah, I know. I'm just really excited.  
MAX (whispering): We'll tell everyone tonight at the Christmas party.  
BO: Tell everyone what?  
CHELSEA: Nothing.  
BO: "Nothing"? Hm. Now, tell me, why is it that when my eldest daughter is talking in hushed voices with her boyfriend, my adopted brother, and I ask her what they're talking about, she says nothing? And, why is it that a "nothing" from my daughter, whom I love, seems to me like a something?  
CHELSEA: No idea, dad. No idea whatsoever.  
BO: How about the truth, kid?  
CHELSEA: Honestly, dad. Nothing is going on. If there were something going on, I'd tell you.  
BO: All right. I'll take your word for it.  
The doorbell rang.  
BO: I'll get it.  
Bo went to open the door.  
BO: Billie?  
Billie stood on the other side of the door.  
BILLIE: Hi, Bo.

DIMERA MANSION  
There was a knock at the door.  
CHAD: It's all right, Harold. I'll get it.  
Chad opened the door. Roman was on the other side.  
CHAD: Commissioner Brady, wonderful to see you again.  
ROMAN: Chad, I'm just gonna cut right to the chase here. I need to speak with your brother. Or is it cousin? I can never keep his backstory straight.  
CHAD: I assume you're talking about André.  
ROMAN: 100% correct. Got some police business to discuss with him.  
CHAD: Well, I'm sorry, but you'll have to come back another time. André isn't here right now.  
ROMAN: I see. I don't suppose he told you where he was going, did he?  
CHAD: None of my business. Though, I assume he went to spread father's ashes in Italy.  
ROMAN: Hold up. Stefano DiMera is dead?  
CHAD: Yep. He died right after Thanksgiving.  
Roman coughed and tried to hide his joy. He was unsuccessful. After a moment, he was able to compose himself.  
ROMAN: And I...I suppose I'd need a warrant to come into the house and look around.  
CHAD: If you feel that that's necessary, yes.  
Roman nodded.  
ROMAN: Well, I'll be back in a few days. Have a nice Christmas.  
CHAD: You too.  
Roman turned and walked back to his squad car.

BRADY HOME  
BO: Billie.  
BILLIE: Hi, Bo.  
CHELSEA: Oh my gosh! Mom!  
Chelsea ran to Billie and gave her a hug.  
BILLIE: Hey, sweetie!  
BO: When did you come back to town?  
BILLIE: Just this morning. Mostly because I wanted to spend Christmas with my daughter.  
BO: Mostly?  
BILLIE: Well, there were other reasons.  
BO: Such as?  
BILLIE: Chelsea told me the news. I am so sorry.  
Bo shrugged.  
BO: Hey, it happens. But, I don't want to dwell on that. I want to spend whatever time I have left with the people I love.  
Ciara walked downstairs.  
CIARA: Dad, I don't see the wreath anywhere.  
BO: I'll come take a look in a minute. Billie, this is my youngest daughter, Ciara. Ciara, this is Billie Reed. She's Chelsea's mother and a...good friend of mine.  
CIARA: Hi.  
BILLIE: Hi, Ciara. My, you've certainly grown since the last time I saw you.  
CIARA: Really?  
BILLIE: Yep. The last time I was in town, you were still a very little girl. But, I can see that you've grown into quite a nice young lady.  
CIARA: Thanks.  
BO: Come on, Ciara. Let's go look for that wreath.  
MAX: Bo, don't forget, we have to leave for that thing in about fifteen minutes.  
BILLIE: Thing? What thing?  
MAX: Oh, just a thing at the Pub. Ma wants to see us.  
BILLIE: Well, that sounds like fun.  
MAX: Should be, yeah.  
Max and Billie hugged. Ciara and Bo went upstairs.

KIRIAKIS MANSION  
Victor was on the phone.  
VICTOR: I don't care that it's Christmas Eve, dammit. I need the best team of specialists to get to Salem on the double. The best of the best. You listen to me, I lost my son once. I am not going to lose him again. Just get them here.  
Victor hung up the phone.

BRADY HOME  
Hope walked in the door.  
CIARA & CHELSEA: Surprise!  
HOPE: Oh, you guys! I love it! Thank you so much for setting up the Christmas decorations!  
CIARA: No problem.  
CHELSEA: Happy to help.  
HOPE: So, where are Max and your father?  
CIARA: Dad and Uncle Max went to have lunch with Grandma.  
HOPE: That's nice.  
Billie had been in the kitchen, and walked into the room.  
BILLIE: I thought I heard a familiar voice.  
HOPE: Billie...what are you doing here?  
BILLIE: Well, it is Christmas Eve, and I'm here to celebrate with my daughter.  
HOPE: I see.  
CHELSEA: Ciara, why don't we go over to Salem Place?  
CIARA: Why?  
CHELSEA: I need to pick up something and I want your opinion on it.  
CIARA: Okay. Bye, mom  
HOPE: Bye, sweetie.  
Ciara and Chelsea left.  
HOPE: I assume Chelsea told you about Bo's...condition.  
Billie nodded.  
BILLIE: I am so sorry to hear about that. But, please Hope, believe me, I am only here to celebrate Christmas with my daughter. Actually...I have a husband.  
HOPE: Do you?  
BILLIE: Mm-hmm.  
Billie took out a phone and showed Hope a picture of her and her husband in a wedding dress.  
HOPE: Is...is that Scotty?  
BILLIE: Yeah. He and I met in London a few years ago.  
HOPE: That's good. I'm happy for you. Well, welcome back to Salem.

BRADY PUB  
Bo and Max walked into the Brady Pub.  
BO: Afternoon, everyone.  
Kimberly, Kayla, Frankie and Roman sat around a table together.  
ROMAN: Bo! Max! Come on over!  
Bo and Max pulled up chairs and sat down with the rest of their family.  
MAX: Well, by my count, this is everybody.  
FRANKIE: Yep. All six of us.  
BO: I'm glad you guys could all come out here so quickly.  
KIMBERLY: Of course we did. You're our brother.  
KAYLA: We're a family. That's what families do.  
Kayla squeezed Bo's shoulder.  
BO: Thanks, guys. So, where's ma?  
Caroline walked in carrying a tray full of platters.  
CAROLINE: Right here.  
Max stood up and walked over to Caroline.  
MAX: Ma, let me help you with that.  
CAROLINE: Thank you, dear.  
Max and Caroline began setting platters and bowls down in front of everybody at the table. Then, Caroline pulled up a chair and they sat down.  
CAROLINE: Before we begin, I have a few words to say.  
Everybody gave Caroline their full attention.  
CAROLINE: This is the first time in...I don't even remember how long it's been, that I've had all of you here. My children. All of my beautiful children...together under the same roof again. Roman, Kimberly, Kayla, Bo, Frankie, Max. It is...you have no idea how good it is to see you all together again.  
MAX: It's good to be back. Don't get me wrong, I loved Bangor, but I missed seeing all of you guys.  
FRANKIE: Yeah, same here. D.C.'s nothing like Salem.  
KIMBERLY: Neither is L.A.  
CAROLINE: I just wish Shawn was here to see this.  
Bo stood up and gave Caroline a hug.  
BO: He is, ma. Pop is always with us.  
Everybody took turns giving Caroline a hug.  
CAROLINE: Well, dig in, everybody!  
Everybody started eating.  
BO: Chowder's just as good as I remember it, ma.  
KIMBERLY: Nothing could ever beat ma's chowder.

HORTON HOME  
J.J., Claire and Paige were decorating the house for the Christmas party that evening.  
PAIGE: So, J.J. tells me you can sing.  
CLAIRE: I'm okay at it.  
J.J.: She's great.  
PAIGE: Well, you know, I haven't heard my boyfriend play a song on his guitar in a long time.  
J.J. smiled and grabbed his guitar.  
J.J.: I think we can arrange something.  
He picked up a sheet of paper and handed it to Claire.  
J.J.: You know this one?  
Claire nodded.  
CLAIRE: Yeah, but isn't it normally played on piano?  
J.J.: It is, but I've modified it for guitar.  
CLAIRE: Cool. Let's hit it.  
J.J. began strumming.  
J.J. (singing): Twinkling lights, a chill is in the air; and carols everywhere. Close your eyes, it's almost here.  
CLAIRE (singing): Candles and cards, and favorite movie scenes. The smell of evergreen. As special as it's always been.  
J.J. (singing): And I have a dream or two; and maybe they will come true.  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing): Setting our hopes on a big snow tonight, we'll wake up to a world of white.  
J.J. (singing): And it's gonna be a Christmas to remember  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing): Light up the fire, play some Nat King Cole. Always sentimental and don't you know...  
CLAIRE (singing): That it's gonna be a Christmas to remember.

MONTAGE (NOTE: Things in __Italics__ are flashbacks, all else is happening the present).  
 _ _J.J. and Paige ice skating earlier in the day.__  
CLAIRE (singing): I know it's true, time doesn't stand still.  
Shawn-D and Belle kissing under the mistletoe at their house.  
CLAIRE (singing): And many things can change. But we know some things never will.  
Max, Frankie, Bo, Kayla, Kimberly, Roman and Caroline sitting down to lunch, talking and laughing.  
J.J. (singing): The memories we share, the songs we always sing.  
 _ _Chelsea and Ciara walking through Salem Place.__  
J.J. (singing): The mystery of life. The hopefulness this season brings  
CLAIRE (singing): And I have a dream or two, and maybe they will come true  
Will answering the door of Lucas' apartment to find Sonny on the other side. He and Will embrace.  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing): Setting our hopes on a big snow tonight, we'll wake up to a world of white.  
CLAIRE (singing): And it's gonna be a Christmas to remember  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing): Light up the fire, play some Nat King Cole. Always sentimental and don't you know...  
J.J. (singing): That it's gonna be a Christmas to remember.  
 _ _As J.J. and Paige are ice skating, they begin to realize they are not alone. They have been joined by Ciara and Theo.__  
CLAIRE (singing): And I have a dream or two...  
J.J. (singing): And maybe they will come true.  
CLAIRE (singing): Come true...  
 _ _These four are soon joined by Joey and Chase.__  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing): Setting our hopes on a big snow tonight, we'll wake up to a world of white.  
CLAIRE (singing): And it's gonna be a Christmas to remember.

HORTON HOME  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing): Light up the fire, play some Nat King Cole. Always sentimental and don't you know...  
J.J. (singing): That it's gonna be a Christmas to remember.  
Paige clapped.  
PAIGE: Bravo!  
J.J. put down his guitar, and he and Paige kissed.  
Later that evening, everybody had gathered at the Horton Home to celebrate Christmas. Well, almost everyone. Lucas looked at his watch.  
LUCAS: Anytime now.  
WILL: Dad, what's up with you?  
LUCAS: Oh, you'll see.  
As if on cue, Sami burst threw the door.  
WILL: Mom?  
Will and Sami ran to each other and hugged.  
SAMI: Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! My boy! My beautiful boy has come back! Are you okay?  
WILL: I'm fine, mom. It's good to see you.  
SAMI: Oh, honey, it is so good to see you! I just can't believe this is real.  
WILL: Neither can I.  
SONNY: Neither can any of us.  
Sami, Lucas, Sonny and Will hugged. Meanwhile, Julie and Billie were talking.  
JULIE: The wedding was lovely, by the way.  
BILLIE: Thanks. Glad you guys could come.  
JULIE: We wouldn't have missed it. So, where is my charming grandson?  
BILLIE: He would have, but he had an emergency call to finish up and was late catching his plane.  
A man came up behind Billie and put his hands over her eyes.  
MAN: Guess who.  
Billie took the man's hands off of her eyes and turned around.  
BILLIE: Hey, you.  
MAN: Hey.  
Billie and the man kissed.  
MAN: Hi, grandma.  
JULIE: Hello, Scotty, dear.  
Julie and Scotty hugged. Everyone was having a wonderful time. After quite a bit of talking and hugs, Max whistled.  
MAX: Can we have everybody's attention, please?  
The room quieted down and turned to look at Chelsea and Max.  
MAX: Thank you.  
CHELSEA: Okay, so Max and I have a bit of an announcement to make. Max and I have been together a long time. I think it was nearly seven or so years ago that we got together.  
MAX: Well, that was the second time. We were together before that. But, then there was all that stuff with Stephanie and Nick.  
CHELSEA: Exactly. But, the point I'm making is that we've been together a long time. Now, we were planning on telling everybody eventually, and we figured that there's no time like the present.  
MAX: I love Chelsea more than I have ever loved any woman in the world.  
CHELSEA: And I love Max more than any man in the world. So, we have decided that it's about time to make things official.  
MAX: Like Chelsea said, this happened a few months ago, and we thought that now is the right time to tell you all.  
Chelsea and Max held hands.  
CHELSEA: Max and I are getting married.  
The room erupted with applause. Hope, Billie, Bo and Caroline gave hugs to both Chelsea and Max.  
CHELSEA: Thanks.  
MAX: Thank you all. It's gonna be soon, very soon. And, we'd like you all to come. We've already done a lot of the planning, thanks to Abby.  
CHELSEA: Thanks, Abs.  
ABBY: No problem.  
CHELSEA: And, Theresa Donovan has graciously provided a design for my dress. Thanks, Theresa.  
THERESA: You're welcome.  
CHELSEA: So, we will be picking our bridesmaids and groomsmen soon, and as soon as we finish that, we will be having the wedding. Because, we really want as may people as can be to be here.  
As the night continued on, the box of ornaments was brought out. Everyone began hanging their ornaments. Doug and Julie hung up theirs. Abby and J.J. went up together to hang up Jack's. Bo and Hope put theirs up together. Shawn-D, Belle and Claire put theirs together. Aiden and Chase, who had both received ornaments this year, hung theirs. Scotty and Billie had hung theirs, Billie had also received an ornament this year since marrying Scotty. Couples and families each hung their respective ornaments, or those of their children or relatives. Last but not least, two ornaments were hung at the top of the tree by Jennifer and Hope. The ornaments that belonged to those two great pillars of Salem: Tom and Alice Horton. Bo, Hope, Shawn-D, Belle, Claire, Ciara, Chelsea and Max gathered around. Bo and Hope kissed.  
BO: Merry Christmas, Fancy Face.  
HOPE: Merry Christmas, Brady.  
BO: Merry Christmas, everybody.


	14. Chapter 12

CHEATIN' HEART  
Max was bartending at the Cheatin' Heart. Frankie walked in.  
MAX: Hey, bro.  
FRANKIE: Hey. You got your old job back?  
MAX: Yeah, just picking up a few shifts here and there until I get a full time job. You know, since Chelsea and I are moving out here again.  
FRANKIE: That's great, little bro.  
MAX: Yeah, thanks.  
FRANKIE: So, I got your text. You wanted to talk to me about something?  
MAX: Yeah, I did. Take a seat.  
Frankie sat on one of the bar stools.  
MAX: What can I get you?  
FRANKIE: Bourbon and 7?  
MAX: Coming right up.  
Max poured the drink.  
FRANKIE: You know, I'm really happy to hear about you and Chels.  
MAX: Thanks. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about.  
FRANKIE: Yeah?  
MAX: Yeah. You're my brother. We're close. So, I was wondering if you'd like to be in the wedding?  
FRANKIE: Dude, that'd be awesome!  
MAX: I'm glad you feel that way, because I'd like you to be my best man.

BRADY HOME  
There was a knock at the door. Hope answered it.  
HOPE: Victor...  
VICTOR: Hope. Is Bo home?  
HOPE: Yes...he is.  
VICTOR: Good. I need to speak with my son.  
HOPE: Okay. Come in.  
Hope let Victor in. Bo walked in from the other room.  
BO: Victor, to what do I owe this pleasure?  
VICTOR: I have been notified of your current plight. And, I feel that I may have a solution.  
BO: Victor...not to burst your bubble or anything, but there's nothing to be done. Daniel already told me that much.  
VICTOR: Maybe there's not much that Daniel can do. But, I always like to have at least a second opinion. And it is for that very reason that I have brought in a small team of specialists to...assist Daniel in your care.  
Bo rolled his eyes. Victor got out his phone.  
VICTOR: Come in.  
Scotty walked through the door, followed by a young woman and an older man.  
HOPE: Scotty?  
SCOTTY: Hello again, Hope. Bo.  
Scotty shook Bo's hand.  
BO: Scotty.  
SCOTTY: Please, allow me to introduce my associates. This is Dr. Adelaide Horton.  
ADDIE: Please, call me Addie.  
Bo and Addie shook hands.  
HOPE: Addie?  
The older man smiled.  
MAN: Yes. She is my daughter.  
HOPE: Addie was my mother's name.  
MAN: I know. You look so much like her, Hope. It's been a long time since we've seen each other.  
HOPE: You knew my mother?  
MAN: Oh, yes. I knew her very well.  
HOPE: How?  
MAN: She was my sister. My twin sister.  
Hope gasped.  
HOPE: Then, you're...Uncle Tommy?  
TOMMY: Hello, Hope. It's good to see you again.  
Hope and Tommy hugged.  
HOPE: Uncle Tommy! I haven't seen you in years.  
TOMMY: You're telling me. When I last saw you, you were about this tall.  
Tommy gestured with his hand barely two feet off the ground.  
TOMMY: You look wonderful. There's so much of your mother in you.  
HOPE: Thank you. And, it's wonderful to meet you...Addie.  
ADDIE: Thanks.  
VICTOR: Well, Dr. Horton, what do you think?  
TOMMY: Well, Scotty, Addie and I will have to do some tests. We'll see what we can do.  
BO (under his breath): Great. More tests.

CHEATIN' HEART  
FRANKIE: You want me to be your best man?  
MAX: Yeah, dude. You're my brother. Ever since we were kids, we've been best friends.  
FRANKIE: Very true.  
MAX: So, what do you think?  
FRANKIE: Yeah, dude. I'd love to.  
MAX: All right!  
Max and Frankie put a hand on each other's shoulders in an attempt at a bro hug over the bar.  
MAX: This is gonna be awesome!

BRADY PUB  
Chelsea was wiping down one of the tables. Theo walked in.  
THEO: Chelsea.  
Chelsea looked up and put down the rag she was using.  
CHELSEA: Theo.  
Theo ran to Chelsea and hugged her.  
CHELSEA: Hey, buddy!  
THEO: Hey!  
CHELSEA: How are you?  
THEO: I'm good. How are you?  
CHELSEA: I'm great!  
THEO: I heard you're getting married. That's awesome!  
CHELSEA: Yeah. Thanks.  
THEO: It is to Max, right?  
CHELSEA: Yes, it's to Max.  
THEO: Good. I like you and Max together.  
CHELSEA: Aw. Thanks, bud. Speaking of which, I have something to ask you.  
THEO: Okay.  
CHELSEA: I was wondering, how would you like to be in my wedding.  
THEO: As what?  
CHELSEA: One of the groomsmen.  
THEO: What would I have to do?  
CHELSEA: Mostly just stand by Max, and whoever else we choose to be groomsmen and bridesmaids, and watch the wedding.  
THEO: Okay.  
CHELSEA: So, I would like you to be in my wedding. Do you want to be in my wedding?  
THEO: Yeah. I'd like that.  
Chelsea and Theo hugged.  
CHELSEA: Thanks, Theo.

MARTIN MANSION  
Scotty was sitting at a table in the mansion with Doug and Julie.  
JULIE: Well, tell us, darling, what have you been doing since the wedding?  
SCOTTY: Well, you know that I'm a doctor.  
DOUG: Certainly.  
SCOTTY: So, I was just working as a neurosurgeon at a hospital in England after Billie and I got married. Then, a few months ago, I got this phone call. Turns out that a doctor in Hawaii had heard about me, and wanted to hire me on as an assistant.  
JULIE: That's wonderful!  
DOUG: Congratulations!  
SCOTTY: Thanks. So, I took the job, and as it turns out, I already know this doctor.  
JULIE: Is that so?  
Scotty nodded.  
SCOTTY: He's my great-great uncle.  
JULIE: Tommy?  
SCOTTY: Mm-hmm.  
JULIE: Well, that is wonderful news!  
SCOTTY: Thanks. So, I started working for him, and then his daughter joined us after a couple of months. Then, on Christmas Eve, Uncle Tommy gets this phone call from Victor Kiriakis. Says he wants us to come out to Salem and see if we can do anything to help his son. So, Uncle Tommy, Addie and I packed our bags and came out here on the next flight.  
JULIE: Well, I am so glad to see you! It was such a lovely surprise to see you at Christmas!  
SCOTTY: It's good to be home, and to see the two of you.

HORTON HOME  
Chelsea and Abby were sitting on the couch, and had a bunch of papers in front of them. Chelsea was on the phone.  
CHELSEA: You are gonna be able to make it, right? Because, I totally get that it's super short notice. Okay, good. I know! I can't wait to see you, either! I'm so glad that we're getting this done so quickly! Okay. You too. I'll see you tomorrow! All right. Bye.  
Chelsea hung up the phone.  
ABBY: So, I take it that she said yes.  
CHELSEA: Yep!  
ABBY: Awesome!  
Abby wrote something down on a piece of paper.  
CHELSEA: I know! This is gonna be so great! Abs, thank you so much for helping me plan my wedding!  
ABBY: Hey, no problem. You're my best friend.  
Abby and Chelsea hugged.  
ABBY: Okay, so we have me as the maid of honor.  
CHELSEA: And Ciara, Stephanie and Melanie as my bridesmaids.

BRADY PUB  
Frankie and Max were sitting at a table.  
FRANKIE: You have got your groomsmen, right?  
MAX: Of course. You're the best man.  
FRANKIE: Yeah.  
MAX: And, I have Theo, Shawn and Steve as groomsmen.  
FRANKIE: Sounds good, little bro.  
MAX: Thanks. Man, I cannot wait to be married!

PARK  
Aiden and Chase walked over to the Park. Most of Salem was already there.  
AIDEN: Evening, everybody.  
HOPE: Hi, Aiden.  
BO: Aiden.  
AIDEN: Bo, you look well.  
BO: Thanks. You too.  
CIARA: Can't believe the year's almost over. Or, it will be in about five minutes.  
CHASE: Went by fast, huh?  
CIARA: Crazy fast. I don't know, sometimes it seems like we grew up really fast this year.  
CHASE: Yeah, I know what you mean.  
CLAIRE: I'm so glad we're back home.  
CIARA: I'm glad you're back, too.  
Claire and Ciara hugged.  
J.J.: So, another year, huh?  
PAIGE: Yep. Hopefully, this'll be better than the last one.  
J.J.: Well, as long as we're together, I'm sure it will be wonderful.  
STEVE: So, what do you think, Sweetness? Think we'll make it this year?  
KAYLA: Well, I'll give you a hint at what I think.  
Steve and Kayla kissed.  
STEVE: Mm. I like the way you think.  
They were about to go in for another kiss, when they heard a voice.  
STEPHANIE: Get a room.  
They turned and saw their daughter.  
KAYLA: Stephanie!  
STEPHANIE: Hi, mom and dad!  
STEVE: Welcome home, Little Sweetness!  
Stephanie hugged her parents.  
SAMI: I am just so glad you're home!  
LUCAS: Me too!  
Will hugged his parents.  
WILL: I'm glad I'm home, too.  
SONNY: So am I.  
Sonny and Will kissed.  
BO: I don't know what's going to happen in this new year.  
Hope took Bo's hand.  
HOPE: Well, whatever it is, we'll face it together.  
CHELSEA: One week to go.  
MAX: I can't wait to spend forever with you.  
CHELSEA: Me either.  
Chelsea and Max kissed.  
Doug whistled.  
DOUG: All right, everybody! It's fifteen seconds to midnight! Let's start the countdown at ten!  
ALL: Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!  
A large amount of fireworks went off, but very few people were watching. Most were kissing their families and significant others.  
CIARA: Well, welcome to 2016.  
Theo and Ciara hugged, as did Chase and Claire. J.J. and Paige kissed. After they were finished, J.J. pulled out his guitar and strummed a few bars.  
DOUG (singing): Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?  
J.J. (singing): Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne!  
DOUG, J.J., & CLAIRE (singing): For auld lang syne, my dear, tor auld lang syne.  
BO: Happy New Year, Fancy Face.  
HOPE: Happy New Year, Brady.  
Hope and Bo kissed.  
J.J., DOUG & CLAIRE (singing): We'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

DIMERA MANSION  
Chad walked into the Zen Room. André, dressed all in black, sat in the middle of the room, eyes shut. Chad took a katana down from the wall.  
CHAD: Get up.  
ANDRE: I'm meditating. You're interrupting.  
CHAD: Don't care. Get up.  
André made no attempt at moving.  
CHAD: You've been in here for the last month. I haven't seen you do a single thing except sit there ever since father died. I mean, I totally get that you were his perfect son or whatever, but come on.  
ANDRE: Go away.  
Chad put the hilt of the katana near André's face.  
CHAD: I'm not going away until you stand up and face me. Come on! Where's that fighting spirit I've always seen in you? Where's the bite you used to have?  
ANDRE: If you know what's good for you, you'll get out of here right now.  
CHAD: You've gone soft, haven't you? So much for being Stefano's best soldier. Come on! Get up and fight me like a man!  
Before Chad knew it, he was pinned against the wall. The katana was no longer in his possession. Rather, its blade was on his neck, held there by André.

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
Bo and Hope sat in a room at the hospital. After a few moments of waiting, the door opened. Tommy, Scotty, Addie and Daniel walked in.  
BO: Well, the gang's all here.  
TOMMY: Good afternoon, Bo.  
SCOTTY: Thank you both for coming in.  
ADDIE: As you know, we did a number of tests to try and find some way to solve the problem.  
BO: Yeah.  
DANIEL: Of course, there was never any guarantee that we would be able to. I mentioned that about a month and a half ago when you came in.  
BO: Gotta be honest, Daniel, you're not really instilling me with much confidence here.  
HOPE: What did you find?  
Tommy turned on the backlight on a small box. He put up two x-ray result pictures.  
TOMMY: This one, here...  
He pointed to the one on the right.  
TOMMY: This is the x-ray that Dr. Jonas took the day after Thanksgiving when you first came in to see him.  
BO: Right.  
SCOTTY: You can see the tumor, that's the spot in your brain, as well as another, which is a smaller spot on your left lung.  
BO: Yeah.  
Addie pointed to the left x-ray.  
ADDIE: This is the x-ray we took on December 26th. As you can see, the spot on the brain has not only grown larger, but several other, smaller spots have appeared.  
BO: So, what does all this mean?  
TOMMY: The cancer has spread from your brain and lung into other parts of your body.  
Bo took a deep breath.  
HOPE: Well, is there anything you can do?  
SCOTTY: Unfortunately, the best we can do is give you medication to try and stop it from spreading farther. As Dr. Jonas has already told you, the original tumor is inoperable.  
Hope put a hand on Bo's shoulder.  
BO: So...Dr. Jonas told me after Thanksgiving...that I had, at most, three months to live. How long do I have now?  
ADDIE: At our best estimate, you may have up to three weeks.  
Bo and Hope put an arm around each other.  
BO: You're sure?  
TOMMY: Unfortunately, yes. We're very sorry about this.


	15. Chapter 13

DIMERA MANSION  
André had Chad pinned to the wall of the Zen Room, the blade of his katana to his throat.  
CHAD: Well...I guess you got your fight back.  
ANDRE: Are you trying to be clever?  
CHAD: Honestly? Only half.  
ANDRE: Don't you ever try to be clever with me, Chad. Or didn't father ever teach you that it's not polite to try and be clever with a man who holds your life in his hands.  
CHAD: Father taught me many things...but he never taught me about you.  
André smirked.  
ANDRE: Of course he didn't. He didn't trust you. I'm not surprised really, and you shouldn't be either. After all, nobody knows him better than I do. And you barely knew him, except for the last five years of your life; and you spent half of those trying to avoid him.  
CHAD: So...what now?  
ANDRE: Now...I teach you a lesson.  
André pulls out a second katana from behind him. He hands it to Chad, and takes the blade of his own sword off of Chad's neck.  
CHAD: You know...I'm really not much of a sword fighter.  
ANDRE: Well, you should have thought this through, then, shouldn't you?  
CHAD: Look, André, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. But, come on. It's not life father's gone forever, right? I man, he's the Phoenix. He always comes back.  
André chuckled.  
ANDRE: Oh, dear, dear, Chad. Do you really still believe after all this time that father is really the Phoenix?  
CHAD: Of course. He's told me about how he's died and come back to life.  
ANDRE: He exaggerates. All of those times, he's always had some convenient excuse as to how he came back to life. No, no, no. The truth, dear Chad, is that Stefano is not the Phoenix. He just got lucky. And his luck ran out.  
CHAD: So, if father isn't the Phoenix...who is?  
André showed Chad the ring that once belonged to Stefano, which is now on his (André's) finger. He then showed Chad a second ring.

 _PENTHOUSE GRILLE - FLASHBACK  
Andre walked in, and came face to face with the majority of the residents of Salem. Bo, Hope, Marlena, John and Abe stood in front of him.  
HOPE (whispering): Oh my god...  
Andre smiled.  
ANDRE: Well, a welcome home party.  
JOHN: Tony DiMera?  
ANDRE: Yes, John. The Phoenix has risen.  
At this, everyone got out of their seats, mouths dropping in shock, as Andre just smiled. _

DIMERA MANSION  
ANDRE: You utter fool. I am the Phoenix!

KIRIAKIS MANSION  
Victor was on the phone. Maggie sat on the couch, watching him.  
VICTOR: What? You're absolutely sure? There's nothing more that you can possibly do? I don't care how much it takes, I will give you any amount of money for...Yes, I'm sure you are. Not half as sorry as the person who did this to him will be, though. Take it however you want, I really don't give a damn.  
Victor hung up the phone. Maggie stood up.  
MAGGIE: Victor?  
VICTOR: They can't do anything. Dr. Horton, his daughter and Dr. Banning are supposed to be three of the best doctors in the world, and they can't do anything.  
Victor angrily shoved the phone back in his pocket.  
VICTOR: What is the point of having money if I can't use it to save Bo?  
Maggie moved closer to Victor.  
VICTOR: Damn Stefano DiMera. If he wasn't dead already, I'd make the miserable bastard's life a living hell. I'd make him wish it was him rather than...  
MAGGIE: Victor.  
Maggie put a hand on Victor's shoulder.  
VICTOR: I'm sorry, Maggie. I just can't stand the idea that I have to sit around and do nothing while my...  
Victor let out a sob.  
VICTOR: My son...  
Maggie wrapped her arms around Victor.

DIMERA MANSION  
CHAD: You...you what?  
ANDRE: Oh, don't look so surprised.  
CHAD: How...how is this possible?  
André smiled.  
ANDRE: 1984 – quicksand. I fell into it during it fight between myself and Tony, and I survived.  
CHAD: Tony...Tony?! That's where I've seen that face before! You look exactly like him! What? Are you guys twins or something?  
ANDRE: Don't interrupt me. That was the first time that I realized that I could come back. I literally drowned in quicksand. But, within an hour, I walked out. So, I decided, why not use it to my advantage? So, I did. Over the years, I've framed John, Marlena, and Shawn Brady Sr., among other people. But, I always come back. Because I am the one true Phoenix.  
CHAD: What about father? He claimed that he was the Phoenix. He rose from the dead before.  
ANDRE: Father just got lucky. He made a lucky escape. Several, in fact. But, not me.  
André shook his head.  
ANDRE: You can kill me, if you like, but I will always come back. Because, that's what I do.  
André glanced at his Phoenix ring.  
ANDRE: I almost pity father. He knew from the beginning what he had created. His perfect DiMera soldier. His perfect son. The one who could never die.  
André did a fancy move with his sword.  
ANDRE: The Phoenix.  
He backed up slightly.  
CHAD: What are you doing?  
ANDRE: What does it look like?  
André chuckled, then he lunged at Chad. Chad put up his own sword to defend himself. Soon, the two were caught in a fierce battle.  
ANDRE: So, you training has paid off.  
CHAD: I may be a slow learner, but at least I do learn.  
ANDRE: Oh, you've barely learned anything.  
Chad swung right, and André easily deflected it.  
ANDRE: It's a wonder that father allowed you to be owner of anything, with the amount of fluff in your head.  
The sword fight became more and more fierce. Chad was doing his best but André was easily getting the better of him. He was pushing Chad into a corner. Chad gingerly moved back, and back. Chad tried to move back even further, but slipped and fell backwards. In his fall, he had opened up a secret compartment. He had fallen on top of a cardboard box, crushing it and revealing it's contents. It contained a black suit, ski mask, and gloves, as well as a small handful of red neckties. André stood over Chad, pointing the sword at him. He chuckled.  
ANDRE: Oh, Chad.  
He shook his head.  
ANDRE: You have been a bad boy, haven't you?  
CHAD: What is this?  
ANDRE: Are you that hopelessly stupid, or is this all just a cunning act? If I had to make a guess, I'd say it was the Necktie Killer's gear.  
CHAD: How did it get in here? Ben is the Necktie Killer.  
ANDRE: I've no idea. You must have put it here.  
CHAD: No, I couldn't have.  
ANDRE: You told me you were the Necktie Killer, Chad. Don't you remember?  
CHAD: No, I...  
ANDRE: It was just the other day when we were having a spot of tea.  
CHAD: I never...  
ANDRE: Ssh. It's all right. I'll keep your secret. You can trust me, Chad.  
There was a knock at the door.  
ANDRE: Come in.  
Harold walked in.  
HAROLD: Sir, you have a visitor.  
ANDRE: Thank you, Harold.  
André put down his sword and followed Harold out to the main room, where Andrew was waiting.  
ANDRE: How can I help you?  
ANDREW: André DiMera?  
ANDRE: Yes. And who might you be?  
ANDREW: I might be any number of people. As it happens, I am Andrew Donovan, legal aid and business partner of Aiden Jennings.  
Andrew handed André an envelope.  
ANDREW: You've been served.  
Meanwhile, Chad got his phone out of his pocket.  
CHAD: Salem P.D.? Rafe, thank god it's you. This is Chad DiMera. I have reason to believe that André is the Necktie Killer, and has been trying to pin it on myself and Ben Weston. Yeah, I know. He must have kidnapped them, as well as fake their deaths. I don't know. But, I can't stay here anymore. He's got me locked in this secret room with all of this ninja gear. He calls it a Zen Room, or something. Okay. Thanks.  
Chad hung up the phone. Meanwhile, Andrew handed André an envelope.  
ANDREW: You've been served.  
André opened the envelope and looked over the papers.  
ANDRE: What the hell is this?  
ANDREW: It's a summons. My business partner and I are taking you to court.  
ANDRE: On what grounds?  
ANDREW: Well, let's see. There's the extortion of my business partner, the threat made to his child, the blackmail of my business partner. Not to mention the kidnap and torture of my business partner's former fiancé's husband.  
ANDRE: You will never win this.  
ANDREW: We'll see. I'll be seeing you in court. I'll see myself out.  
He turned to leave, but then turned back.  
ANDREW: Have a nice day, André.  
Andrew laughed, and walked out. André took a deep breath, then got a wicked smile on his face. He quickly went upstairs and changed into a different suit, a white one. Then, he walked back into the Zen Room.  
ANDRE: Chad, come with me.  
CHAD: I'm not going anywhere, especially not with you.  
ANDRE: Oh. Oh, I understand the confusion now. You think I'm André, don't you?  
CHAD: What?  
ANDRE: Chad, it's me. It's Tony. I've come back for you.  
CHAD: That's not possible.  
ANDRE: Of course it is. I've come back to take you away from this god awful house of horrors. It's just a good thing I got back before André did.  
CHAD: No!  
André inched towards Chad, but Chad stepped back.  
CHAD: Get away from me. You're not Tony! Tony's dead! He died after tripping on the Pier and being impaled on a board during a fight with Philip Kiriakis. And unlike you, André, Tony can't come back to life.  
ANDRE: What on earth are you talking about? Of course I'm Tony. My, my, it seems that André and father have certainly done a number on you.  
CHAD: There is no way in hell that you're Tony.  
Chad grabbed a sword from the floor and pointed it at André.  
CHAD: Stand back! I'm warning you!  
ANDRE: What? What is it? What do you think you're going to do?  
CHAD: Whatever I have to.  
ANDRE: There's only one thing you can do right now. On the count of three, hand me that sword.  
CHAD: Go to hell!  
André finally dropped the act.  
ANDRE: Oh, I've been there.  
In one quick movement, André had the sword in one hand and Chad in the other.  
ANDRE: Now, you're coming with me.  
CHAD: I'd rather die than go with you.  
André chuckled.  
ANDRE: Oh, don't worry about that, Chad. You will. Very, very soon.  
André held the sword to Chad's neck and walked him out of the Zen Room.

CHEATIN' HEART  
By now, the bachelor party was in full swing. Max had ordered a full round of drinks for everybody. He, Bo, Shawn-D, Frankie and Steve had beers, while Theo had a coke. Max, Steve and Bo were currently playing darts.  
STEVE: You know, little dude, you are one lucky man.  
MAX: Oh, believe me, I know it. I was over the moon when Chelsea said yes.  
BO: Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that.  
MAX: Sure, Bo. What's up?  
BO: I'm gonna need you to take care of her after...you know.  
MAX: You got it, man. I totally understand. Believe me, I love Chelsea more than anything.  
BO: I know you do.  
MAX: To tell the truth, I'm just glad she decided to move up the wedding.  
BO: Me too, bro.  
Max and Bo hugged.  
STEVE: Hey, you two need a room, or are we gonna keep playing our game?  
MAX: Oh, get over here!  
Steve joined the hug, as did Shawn-D, Frankie and Theo.  
MAX: Thanks for coming, guys. The wedding is gonna be awesome. Now, let's get this party going!

BRADY PUB  
Chelsea kept looking at the door.  
CHELSEA: Where is she?  
ABBY: Chels, don't worry. She'll be here.  
Stephanie walked down the stairs.  
STEPHANIE: Are you guys ready for an awesome night?  
HOPE: Almost. We're just waiting on one more person.  
STEPHANIE: Who?  
BILLIE: One of the other bridesmaids.  
CIARA: But, me and Steph are already here. Abby's the Maid of Honor. Who else are we waiting for?  
There was a knock at the door.  
STEPHANIE: I'll get it.  
Stephanie opened the door. Melanie walked in.  
MELANIE: Chelsea, I am so sorry that I'm late. I got held up at the airport. They took forever getting my bags...oh. Stephanie.  
STEPHANIE: Melanie.  
CIARA (whispering): Ooh! Looks like there's gonna be a catfight!  
Hope walked over to the two girls.  
HOPE (whispering): Look, we need this wedding to go well for Chelsea, so whatever problem you two have, get over it for at least the next few days. Pretend to like each other.  
STEPHANIE: Mel!  
MELANIE: Steph!  
Stephanie and Melanie hugged.  
CHELSEA: Oh, this is so great! Having my best friend, my little sister, my other best friend and my soon to be sister-in-law together! And you're all getting along!  
Melanie and Stephanie were still hugging. They whispered to each other, low enough so that Chelsea wouldn't hear.  
MELANIE (whispering): I hate you.  
STEPHANIE (whispering): I seriously cannot stand this.  
MELANIE (whispering): You do realize I'm only doing this for Max and Chelsea, right?  
STEPHANIE (whispering): Well, at least we agree on something.  
CHELSEA: Guys, I can't wait for tomorrow! It's gonna be so awesome!  
BILLIE: It certainly is. Now, let's get this show on the road! Time to party!  
Everyone clapped and cheered.  
CHELSEA: I love you guys!  
Chelsea, Stephanie, Melanie, Abby, Ciara, Hope and Billie got into a group hug.

ST. LUKE'S  
It seemed as if the majority of Salem had turned up to St. Luke's the next day. Of course, that's the way that it normally was whenever somebody got married. Billie and Hope had taken their seats at the front, and the rest of the guests had taken various seats in the other pews. The music for the procession began. It was _Venus, the Bringer of Peace_ from Gustav Holst's "The Planets". Max and Caroline walked in first. Max kissed his mother on the cheek, then Caroline sat down next to Hope. Next was Frankie, who stood next to Max. Steve walked up next and stood next to him. Shawn-D followed. The last of the groomsmen to come up was Theo. Then, Abby walked up and took a spot across from Frankie. Stephanie took the spot across from Steve. Melanie stood across from Shawn-D. Finally, Ciara stood across from Theo. Parker was the ring bearer, and stood by Shawn-D. Next was Ariana, the flower girl, who stood by Abby. The song came to a stop. Then, came the traditional "Here Comes the Bride". Everyone stood at attention. Chelsea, wearing a gorgeous white dress, with Bo on her arm, walked up the aisle. Max smiled, and Chelsea smiled back. Finally, when they got to the front, Chelsea gave her father a kiss on the cheek.  
BO (whispering): I love you, kid.  
CHELSEA (whispering): I love you too, dad.  
Bo sat down between Billie and Hope. The music stopped. Father Louis, who had been sitting at the pulpit, stood and walked between the couple.  
LOUIS: Good morning.  
CONGREGATION: Good morning.  
LOUIS: We are gathered today to join this man and this woman in marriage. Max Brady and Chelsea Brady. But first, please rise for a reading of the Holy Gospel.  
The congregation rose.  
LOUIS: A reading from the Holy Gospel According to St. John, the 17th Chapter, beginning with the 20th verse.  
CONGREGATION: Glory to you, oh Lord.  
LOUIS: Jesus said, "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." This is the Gospel of our Lord.  
CONGREGATION: Praise be to you, oh Christ.  
LOUIS: Please be seated.  
Everyone in the congregation sat down.  
LOUIS: I have been informed that Chelsea and Max have written their own vows. You may recite them at this time.  
Chelsea and Max turned to each other, each beaming.  
MAX: Chelsea, when I look back on the years we've been together, it feels like I've loved you forever. From the moment I met you, I knew that there was something special about you. And, as we grew to know each other, I knew that you were the woman, the only woman, that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We've been through a lot over the last few years, but I would not trade one moment of it; because you were always right there by my side. I know it won't always be easy, but no matter what life throws our way, we'll face it head on. We're stronger together. And together, I know that we can do anything. I love you more than I can ever tell you, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you.  
Chelsea smiled even wider. She took a deep breath.  
CHELSEA: Max, you have made me the happiest woman in the world. Every day, it's like I find some new thing to love about you. I can't even find the right words to express what I feel. The love that I have for you, is greater than anything I've ever felt before, or anything I ever will feel. I know that sometimes our life feels like a bit of an adventure, but with everything that's been thrown at us, we've come out on the other side, stronger than before. I can't wait to start this new adventure with you. You are the love of my life, and I can't wait to be your wife.  
There were a few claps from the audience.  
LOUIS: Now that Chelsea and Max have said their vows, it is time for the exchange of the rings. Who gives this woman to wed this man?  
Bo stood.  
BO: Her mother, her step-mother and I do.  
Bo sat back down. Father Louis knelt down by Parker.  
LOUIS: May I have the rings, please?  
Parker handed Father Louis the rings. He smiled.  
LOUIS: Thank you.  
Father Louis stood.  
LOUIS: These rings are a symbol of Max and Chelsea's love for each other, as well as a reminder of Christ's love for us. It is a never ending circle of gold, signifying the many years of happiness that they will have together. If there is anyone here who can find just reason that these two should not be wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace.  
Max and Chelsea looked out at the crowd. Everyone sat there in silence. After a moment, they looked back at Father Louis.  
LOUIS: Max, please take this ring, put it on Chelsea's finger and repeat after me: "with this ring, I thee wed."  
Max took the ring and put it on Chelsea's finger.  
MAX: With this ring, I thee wed.  
LOUIS: Chelsea, please take this ring, put it on Max's finger, and repeat after me: "with this ring, I thee wed".  
Chelsea put the ring on Max's finger.  
CHELSEA: With this ring, I thee wed.  
LOUIS: Max, do you take Chelsea Brady to be your wife? Do you promise to honor and cherish her, to be faithful to her and love her, for as long as you both shall live?  
MAX: I do.  
LOUIS: Chelsea, do you take Max Brady to be your husband? Do you promise to honor and cherish him, to be faithful to him and love him, for as long as you both shall live?  
CHELSEA: I do.  
LOUIS: Then, by the power vested in me by the state, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.  
Chelsea and Max leaned in and kissed each other.  
LOUIS: Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present, Mr. and Mrs. Max and Chelsea Brady!  
There was a round of thunderous applause from the congregation.


	16. Chapter 14

MARTIN MANSION  
The reception was held at the Martin Mansion. The wedding party and guests had eaten their dinner and given their respective speeches. Now, it was time for the dancing to begin. J.J., guitar in hand, and Claire got up on a stage.  
J.J.: Good evening, everyone! First of all, a big congratulations to Chelsea and Max, the wedding was beautiful!  
Everyone clapped.  
J.J.: And now, it's time for the bride and groom to have their first dance as a married couple. So, we need Chelsea and Max up in the front.  
Chelsea and Max made their way onto the dance floor as J.J. and Claire started playing a song, and they danced for their first time as husband and wife.  
CLAIRE (singing): Can this be true? Tell me, can this be real? How can I put into words how I feel? My life was complete, I thought I was whole. Why do I feel like I'm losing control?  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing): I never thought that love could feel like this. Then you changed my world with just one kiss.  
CLAIRE (singing): How can it be, that right here with me...  
J.J. (singing): There's an angel, it's a miracle.  
CLAIRE (singing): Your love is like a river, peaceful and deep. Your soul is like a secret that I never could keep. When I look into your eyes I know that it's true, God must have spent a little more time on you.  
J.J. (singing): In all of creation, all things great and small, you are the one that surpasses them all. More precious than any diamond or pearl, They broke the mold when you came in this world.  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing): And I'm trying hard to figure out just how I ever did without.  
J.J. (singing): The warmth of your smile, the heart of a child, it's deep inside, and leaves me purified. Your love is like a river, peaceful and deep. Your soul is like a secret that I never could keep. When I look into your eyes, I know that it's true, God must have spent a little more time on you.  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing): I never thought that love could feel like this, Then you changed my world with just one kiss.  
CLAIRE (singing): How can it be, that right here with me,  
J.J. (singing): There's an angel, it's a miracle. Your love is like a river, peaceful and deep.  
CLAIRE (singing): Your soul is like a secret that I never could keep.  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing): When I look into your eyes, I know that it's true, God must have spent a little more time on you. God must have spent a little more time on you  
Chelsea and Max's dance came to a stop, and they embraced each other and kissed.  
CHELSEA: I love you so much.  
MAX: I love you, too.  
J.J. and Claire continued by playing another song. Click here to listen to it. As the song was playing, all of the people were dancing.  
BO: I'm so glad I got to see this.  
HOPE: So am I. I'm glad for Chelsea and Max.  
Bo nodded.  
BILLIE: Well, my baby girl is married now.  
SCOTTY: It was a beautiful service.  
BILLIE: It was. I couldn't be more happy for those two.  
CHELSEA: This is really beautiful.  
MAX: You are beautiful.  
Chelsea and Max kissed. Several songs later, J.J. and Claire went into another room to take a short break.  
CLAIRE: You're really good out there.  
J.J.: Thanks, you too.  
CLAIRE: Yeah. It's fun.  
J.J. nodded. The two stood there for a moment, then, before he knew what was happening, Claire had kissed J.J. He backed away quickly.  
J.J.: What the hell are you doing?  
CLAIRE: Sorry, I was just getting caught up in the moment. You know, the music, the romance, the lighting.  
J.J.: Claire, we...we can't do this. I have a girlfriend.  
CLAIRE: I know.  
J.J.: You can't...you don't just kiss someone with a girlfriend! I'm not...you just don't do that.  
CLAIRE: I'm sorry, I just wasn't thinking.  
J.J.: I...I should go.  
J.J. walked out of the room. A few minutes later, so did Claire. They rejoined the party. During the break, Victor walked up to the bride and groom's table.  
VICTOR: Congratulations, you two.  
MAX: Thanks, Victor.  
CHELSEA: Thank you, grandpa.  
VICTOR: I want you to know that, when it's time for your honeymoon, just tell me where you'd like to go. Anywhere in the world. I'll take care of the rest.  
CHELSEA: Thanks, but we probably won't have a honeymoon for a while. I want to stay and take care of my dad.  
VICTOR: Of course. But, when you do, let me know. I've got it covered. The Titan jet will be at your disposal, and I'll take care of any expenses.  
Chelsea stood, and she and Victor hugged. The band got back into place, and the party went on into the wee hours of the night.

PARK  
The day after the wedding, J.J. sat in the park, guitar in hand. He was strumming it and looking at a picture of Paige.  
J.J. (singing): Time can never mend the careless whispers of a good friend. To the heart and mind, ignorance is kind. There's no comfort in the truth. Pain is the hole you find. Should've known better, yeah. I feel so unsure as I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor. As the music dies, something in your eyes calls to mind a silver screen and all it's sad goodbyes. I'm never gonna dance again. Guilty feet have got no rhythm. Though it's easy to pretend, I know you're not a fool. Should've known better than to cheat a friend and waste the chance that I've been given. So I'm never gonna dance again the way I danced with you.

CLAIRE'S ROOM  
Claire sat on her bed, thinking of the kiss, and J.J.  
CLAIRE (singing): Time can never mend the careless whispers of a good friend. To the heart and mind, ignorance is kind. There's no comfort in the truth. Pain is the hole you find. I'm never gonna dance again. Guilty feet have got no rhythm. Though it's easy to pretend, I know you're not a fool. Should've known better than to cheat a friend and waste the chance that I've been given. So I'm never gonna dance again the way I danced with you.

PARK/CLAIRE'S ROOM – SIDE-BY-SIDE SCENE  
Claire stands, as does J.J.  
CLAIRE (singing): Tonight the music seems so loud. I wish that we could lose this crowd.  
J.J. (singing): Maybe it's better this way. We'd hurt each other with the things we'd want to say.  
CLAIRE (singing): We could have been so good together.  
J.J. (singing): We could have lived this dance forever.  
J.J. & CLAIRE (singing): But now who's gonna dance with me?  
J.J. (singing): Please stay.  
J.J. & CLAIRE: And I'm never gonna dance again. Guilty feet have got no rhythm. Though it's easy to pretend, I know you're not a fool. Should've known better than to cheat a friend and waste the chance that I've been given. So I'm never gonna dance again the way I danced with you. Now that you've gone...  
CLAIRE (singing): Now that you've gone...  
J.J. (singing): Now that you've gone, was what I did so wrong...  
CLAIRE (singing): So wrong that you had to leave me alone?

PARK  
J.J. stopped strumming. He was unaware that Daniel had been behind him for the last few minutes.  
DANIEL: Hey.

DIMERA MANSION  
There was a knock at the door. André opened it. Roman and Bo were on the other side.  
ANDRE: Well, if it isn't the Brady boys. Sorry, I don't really have time to chat.  
ROMAN: That's okay, we're here on business, not a social call.  
ANDRE: And what business do we have?  
BO: You locking me up in that dungeon and Melaswen, for starters.  
ANDRE: I'm sorry, but I've no idea as to what you are referring.  
BO: Shall I jog his memory a little bit?  
ROMAN: We certainly could.  
BO: You tied me down to a chair for a year and a half and tortured me. Following that, you abandoned me on Melaswen.  
ANDRE: I've no recollection of that, at all. However, I must apologize for anything that may or may not have been done to you in that time.  
BO: I'm sure.  
ROMAN: Never the less, we have enough witnesses and quite a number of questions that must be answered down at the station. Bo, would you like to do the honors?  
BO: You can cuff him, I'll take care of the rest.  
Roman put handcuffs on André  
ANDRE: Do we really need to do this again?  
BO: André DiMera, you are under arrest for kidnapping and torturing of a police officer, assaulting a police officer, and at least two other counts of kidnapping.  
ANDRE: At least? You mean, you don't know how many you're accusing me of doing?  
BO: You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. I'm sure you can afford one, and boy will you need it. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?  
ANDRE: Yes.  
Roman led André to his squad car.  
ANDRE (whispering): You will regret this.

PARK  
J.J. looked up.  
J.J.: Oh, hey. How much of that did you hear?  
DANIEL: Enough. So, what's going on?  
J.J.: Daniel, I screwed up, man.  
Daniel took a seat next to J.J.  
DANIEL: How so?  
J.J.: I...you were at Chelsea and Max's wedding, right?  
DANIEL: Yeah. Me and Nicole, and Parker. He was the ring bearer.  
J.J.: Yeah. So, you know that me and Claire played some music.  
DANIEL: Totally. You guys were great.  
J.J.: Thanks...but, that's kind of the problem.  
DANIEL: What do you mean?  
J.J.: We took a break at one point. And, during the break...she kissed me. I swear, I didn't even know what was going on! As soon as I realized it, as soon as I realized that she was kissing me, I broke away from her.  
DANIEL: So, I'm not seeing how you screwed up. You told Claire that you had a girlfriend, and that you can't do that kind of thing. So, why would you have anything to apologize for? It sounds to me like you did the right thing.  
J.J.: The thing is, I haven't told Paige yet. I'm too afraid that Paige is gonna hate me.  
DANIEL: No, J.J., no she isn't.  
J.J.: How do you figure that?  
DANIEL: Because she knows you. She loves you. As long as you explain to her exactly what happened, that Claire kissed you, and that you didn't want it, and you broke away from it as soon as you could, as long as you explain the truth to her, she won't hate you. She'll believe you. Just tell her what you told me.  
J.J. nodded.  
J.J.: Right. Okay. I just gotta tell her the truth.  
DANIEL: And, I would do it before anyone else does. This is something you need to tell her.  
J.J. nodded. He stood up.  
J.J.: Right. I'll go do that, then.  
DANIEL: Do you want me to come with you?  
J.J. No. No, that's okay. Like you said, it's gotta come from me. This is something I need to do alone. But, thanks, Daniel.  
DANIEL: No problem.  
Daniel and J.J. hugged, and then J.J. left.

SALEM P.D.  
Roman escorted André into the station. Bo was a few steps behind them. He was walking slowly. And stopped when he got to his office. Roman looked back.  
ROMAN: You okay, Bo?  
Bo hesitated.  
BO: Um...do you think you could take him the rest of the way yourself? I gotta sit down.  
ROMAN: Sure.  
ANDRE: See you later, Commander Brady.  
André smiled to himself.  
ANDRE (thinking): Hopefully.  
Roman led André away. Meanwhile, Bo, with some effort, made his way to his desk. He had a tight grip on his desk, and it appeared to be more of an effort to move his legs than it should be. By the time that he got to his desk, he was panting and short of breath. Hope noticed, and came out of her office over to his.  
HOPE: Brady?  
BO: Hey...Fancy Face...  
HOPE: Are you okay?  
Bo shook his head.  
BO: I don't think so.  
HOPE: What's wrong?  
Hope walked over to Bo.  
BO: I...I think you'll need...to call Dr. Horton...and an ambulance.  
HOPE: Okay. I will. What's going on?  
BO: I...I can't...  
Hope got out her phone and started dialing.  
HOPE: You can't what?  
BO: My legs...I can't feel my legs.

SALEM PLACE  
J.J. and Paige sat down at a table.  
J.J.: Thanks for meeting me.  
PAIGE: No problem. I'm always happy to spend time with you.  
J.J.: Yeah, I'm glad to spend time with you, too.  
PAIGE: So, what's up?  
J.J.: I, um...I have something I need to talk to you about.  
PAIGE: Okay.  
J.J.: The other night, at Chelsea and Max's wedding, during the break we were taking from playing music...um...Claire kissed me.  
PAIGE: What?  
J.J.: I swear, I didn't even realize it at first, and I didn't want it! The second I realized what was going on, I backed away and told her that, that I don't do that sort of thing. That I have a girlfriend. I swear to you, Paige, I didn't do anything. I would never do that to you.  
Paige took J.J.'s hand.  
PAIGE: J.J., it's okay. I believe you.  
J.J.: You do?  
PAIGE: Of course I do. I know that you would never do anything to hurt me.  
J.J.: No, of course not. Paige, you are the love of my life. I don't know what I would do without you.  
PAIGE: I don't know what I'd do without you, either. But, we'll never have to worry about that, I promise. No matter what happens, we'll face it together.  
J.J.: Okay. Good.  
J.J. and Paige smiled, then kissed.

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
Bo had been rushed into a room on a stretcher. Scotty, Tommy and Addie were soon in the room, looking over him. Scotty walked over.  
SCOTTY: What happened?  
HOPE: I have no idea. He was out on the job with Roman, and when he came back to the office, he was having a hard time moving. He was short of breath. And, a few minutes after he sat down, when I checked on him, he told me he lost feeling in his legs.  
Scotty nodded.  
ADDIE: This isn't good.  
Shawn-D ran in.  
SHAWN-D: Mom?  
HOPE: Shawn!  
Hope and Shawn-D hugged.  
SHAWN-D: What's going on?  
HOPE: I don't know. Something's wrong with your dad's legs, and he's out of breath.  
Shawn-D took a deep breath. Addie walked over to them.  
ADDIE: We're gonna do what we can, but we need you guys to clear the room.  
HOPE: I'm not going anywhere!  
ADDIE: I'm sorry, Hope. I can't imagine how hard this is. We'll do what we can, and I promise, as soon as he is ready for visitors, we will let you know.  
SHAWN-D: Come on, let's take a seat.  
Shawn-D and Hope walked out of the room, and sat down in some of the nearby chairs. Kayla had gotten off of her shift, so she came and sat with Hope and Shawn-D. A little while later, Chelsea and Ciara came and sat with them, as well. After quite a while, Tommy came out of the room. Hope stood and walked over to him.  
HOPE: Uncle Tommy?  
Tommy took a deep breath.  
TOMMY: I'm sorry, Hope. You, um...you'll need to call his family to come in. He doesn't have much time left, and they'll want to be here.  
Hope nodded.  
KAYLA: I'll call Steve, Kim, Roman and Frankie.  
CHELSEA: I'll call Max.  
Shawn-D put an arm around his mom.  
SHAWN-D: I'll call everyone else.  
HOPE: Okay...thank you.  
Ciara took her mom by the hand, and the two went into Bo's room. Before long, all of Bo's family stood in his hospital room. Hope, Shawn-D, Belle, Claire, Chelsea, Max and Ciara, Victor and Caroline, Kayla and Steve, Roman, Kimberly and Shane, and Frankie. Tommy, Scotty and Addie had stepped out for a few minutes to give everyone some time. Bo was no longer short of breath, as he was laying down, and hooked up to tubes.  
BO: So...what's this? A party?  
STEVE: Something like that, yeah.  
BO: Well, I gotta say...it's good to see all of you guys. My whole family...together at one time. You bring enough chowder for all of us, Ma?  
Caroline smiled weakly.  
CAROLINE: Not this time, Bo. Not this time.  
Shane was the first to walk up to Bo's bedside. He took Bo's hand in his.  
SHANE: You were a brilliant partner. A brilliant man. A brilliant friend.  
BO: Same to you, Shane.  
Shane quietly left. Next up was Steve. He gave Bo a hug.  
STEVE: You were the best friend a guy could ask for.  
BO: You too, man. You too.  
Steve and Bo held hands for a moment, then Steve left. Belle came up next, she gave Bo a hug.  
BELLE: Thank you for everything over the years. You've been like a second father to me.  
BO: And you've always been like a daughter to me.  
Belle left. Claire came up and gave Bo a hug.  
CLAIRE: I love you, grandpa.  
BO: I love you too, Claire Bear.  
Claire went to join her mom outside. It goes without saying that everyone left in the room had tears in their eyes. All of Bo's brothers and sisters walked up next.  
BO: Well.  
KIMBERLY: Well.  
KAYLA: Well.  
ROMAN: Yeah.  
BO: You guys...you guys are the best family anybody could wish for. I feel so blest to have spent my life with you guys.  
FRANKIE: We feel the same way, man.  
All of the brothers and sisters got into a big group hug.  
KAYLA: Give pop a hug from us.  
BO: I will.  
Bo and Max hugged. Then, Bo and Frankie. Then, Bo and Kayla.  
KAYLA: I love you, little brother.  
BO: I love you too, sis.  
Kimberly and Bo hugged next.  
KIMBERLY: I love you.  
BO: I love you, too. Take care, Kimber.  
Finally, Roman and Bo hugged.  
BO: Keep an eye on things for me, Ro.  
ROMAN: I will. I love you, Bo.  
BO: I love you too, Roman.  
Then, Kimberly, Roman, Kayla, Frankie, and Max walked out. Victor walked up next.  
VICTOR: I know things haven't been easy. In fact, more often than not, we were mortal enemies. But, I have always...  
BO: I know, Victor.  
VICTOR: Let me finish. No matter what has happened over the years...you are my son. And I love you.  
BO: I love you too...dad.  
Victor and Bo hugged. Caroline was next to walk up.  
CAROLINE: That alone is enough to bring tears to a mother's eyes.  
BO: Ma.  
Bo and Caroline hugged. He kissed her on the cheek.  
BO: Take care of 'em, Ma.  
CAROLINE: I will. You know I will.  
BO: Oh, I know.  
CAROLINE: I love, Bo. Always.  
BO: I love you too, Ma.  
Caroline and Victor left the room. Ciara walked up, and threw her arms around Bo.  
CIARA: I love you, dad.  
BO: I love you too, little one.  
Bo kissed Ciara's forehead. He looked up at his other children.  
BO: Come here. Come here.  
Shawn-D and Chelsea joined Bo and Ciara in a group hug.  
BO: Ciara, Chelsea, Shawn-Douglas...you guys are the best kids a dad could ever ask for.  
CHELSEA: And you're the best father anyone could ask for.  
BO: I love you. All of you.  
SHAWN-D: We love you, too.  
CHELSEA: And no matter what happens, we'll always remember you.  
CIARA: And everything you taught us. Always.  
Bo kissed all three of his children, and gave them each one last hug.  
SHAWN-D: Come on, guys. Let's give them some privacy.  
Chelsea and Ciara nodded, and the three left the room. Hope walked over to Bo's bed. Bo scooted over, and Hope climbed in next to him. They wrapped their arms around each other.  
BO: Fancy Face...  
HOPE: Ssh. Don't say anything yet. Just give us this one moment together.  
Bo and Hope looked into each other's eyes. They kissed.  
HOPE: Okay. Go ahead.  
BO: I know I haven't been perfect, and I've made a lot of mistakes, but the one thing that has always, and will always remain true is how much I love you. And I never want you to forget that.  
HOPE: I won't. I promise.  
BO: You've given me beautiful children. You've given me so much. All the years I've spent with you...those were the best days of my life. And if I could do it all over again, I'd give anything for just one more day with you.  
HOPE: You are the love of my life, Brady. I have never loved any man the way I love you. You've given me the best years of my life. And I will always remember you. I will always love you, Bo Brady. Always.  
BO: And I will always love you, Hope Williams Brady, my Fancy Face.  
Hope and Bo kissed one last time, Then, his wife by his side, Bo smiled, closed his eyes, and drew his last breath.


	17. Chapter 15

ST. LUKE'S  
The gathering that had, only days before been at St. Luke's for Chelsea and Max's wedding, where now gathered at St. Luke's for a rather more somber affair. Hope sat in the front pew. Jennifer walked up.  
JENNIFER: Hi, cuz.  
HOPE: Jen.  
Hope stood, and the two embraced. Neither needed to say anything. They both knew what they were feeling. Chelsea and Max stood towards the front of the church. Melanie walked up.  
MELANIE: Hi.  
MAX: Hi, Melanie.  
MELANIE: I, um, I just got off the phone with my mom. She's really sorry to hear about what happened. We all are. She said she didn't feel right coming, but she sends her condolences.  
CHELSEA: Thanks.  
Melanie hugged Chelsea and Max. Claire sat with Ciara, in one of the pews, holding each other's hand. Chase walked up.  
CHASE: Hey.  
Ciara looked up and wiped her eyes.  
CIARA: Hey.  
She stood, and hugged Chase.  
CIARA: Thanks for coming.  
CHASE: No problem. I'm so sorry about what happened.  
Ciara hugged him tighter. After a few minutes, everyone sat down. Father Louis walked up to the front of the church.  
LOUIS: Good morning. We are gathered together to say farewell to our dear brother in Christ, Beauregard Brady, husband of Hope Williams Brady, father to Shawn-Douglas Brady, Chelsea Brady, Beauregard "Zack" Issac Theodore Brady, and Ciara Alice Brady.  
They began with a hymn, "On Eagles Wings". Father Louis walked to the center of the altar.  
LOUIS: Please rise for a reading of the Holy Gospel.  
The congregation rose.  
LOUIS: The Holy Gospel According to St. John, the 17th chapter, beginning at the 24th verse. Jesus said, "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." This is the Gospel of our Lord.  
CONGREGATION: Praise to you, oh Christ.  
After another hymn, "Here I Am, Lord", Father Louis motioned for everyone to be seated.  
LOUIS: At this time, if any of Bo's friends or family wish to say any words, they are welcome to at this time.  
Many people came forward to speak about their relationships with Bo, including all of his brothers and sisters, as well as his children. Below are just a few snippets of things that were said.  
STEVE: We were like brothers. We were as close as two brothers could be. If either of us needed anything, the other was right there...  
VICTOR: Bo and I didn't always see eye to eye. In fact, I believe we fought more than anything. But, he was still my son, and I still loved him. He...he was a better man than me. A better man than most...  
CAROLINE: I loved his adventerous spirit. Even though, at times, I was worried about him, I loved seeing him do what he enjoyed doing. He was an amazing son. He was an amazing man...  
SHAWN-D: I think he must be a saint for putting up with some of the stuff I did as a teenager. But, no matter what I did, he was always there for me. That's who he was...  
CHELSEA: I didn't get to know him until I was in my late teens. But, I treasure every moment I had with him. He showed me how to be a good person. Not just how to love others, but how to love myself...  
CIARA: He was the best father I could ever ask for...  
HOPE: Bo and I first met when I was 18. Over the next few years, we fell in love. We have done so much together. We've gone on so many adventures: getting married in England, investigating cases together, having children, that adventure in Maison Blanche. And I wouldn't trade a second with Bo for anything in the world.  
Hope looked over at the picture of Bo.  
HOPE: I love you, Bo. And I know that you'll look out for us, for all the days of our lives.  
Claire stood. She didn't know what to say, so she just did what she does best.  
CLAIRE (singing): Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.  
Caroline stood.  
CAROLINE (singing): 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved...  
CLAIRE & CAROLINE (singing): How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!  
Doug stood.  
DOUG (singing): The Lord has promised good to me, his word my hope secures; he will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.  
J.J. stood.  
J.J. (singing): Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come...  
DOUG & J.J. (singing): 'tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.  
Everyone in the church stood and joined in.  
ALL (singing): When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we'd first begun.  
After everyone was done speaking, the casket was walked out of the church and into the cemetary. The large gathering of people follwed, each was given a flower. One by one, they took their turn in line, each laying a flower on the casket. Eventually, Shawn-D, Chelsea and Ciara walked up together.  
CIARA: I love you, dad. I'll miss you.  
CHELSEA: We all love you. But we know, that you're watching over us.  
SHAWN-D: And you will always be with us.  
The siblings hugged, and each placed their flower on the casket. Caroline and Victor were next. Neither could say anything aloud. Caroline said a silent prayer, and they laid their flowers down. Finally, Hope walked up.  
HOPE (whispering): I love you, Brady. Always.  
She, too, placed her flower on the casket. She walked over to stand by Caroline and her children. There was a meadow just a short distance away. Both Hope and Caroline looked over to it. There, they saw Bo. He was a young man, healthy and strong. From the other side of the meadow came a young boy of about six years old. He came running up to Bo, who scooped him up in his arms. Following the boy at a short distance was an older man. He and Bo grinned at each other and embraced. Then together, the three Brady men walked off.

BRADY PUB  
All of the mourners were together at the Brady Pub. They were celebrating Bo's life. They all sat around talking with each other. Ciara sat at one of the tables. Claire walked over and sat down next to her.  
CLAIRE: Hey.  
Ciara wiped her eyes, and tried to make it look like she hadn't been crying.  
CIARA: Hey. How are you?  
CLAIRE: I'm okay. You?  
Ciara shook her head.  
CIARA: I'm surviving, I guess.  
Claire put an arm around Ciara, and Ciara laid her head on Claire's shoulder.  
In another part of the Pub, Hope saw that Aiden was about to walk out the door.  
HOPE: Aiden.  
Aiden turned back to look at Hope.  
HOPE: Are you trying to escape without saying goodbye, Mr. Jennings?  
AIDEN: Nothing like that, detective, I was just feeling a bit cold, so I thought I'd go out and get my coat.  
HOPE: Hmm. All right.  
AIDEN: By the way, I wanted to tell you again, I'm sorry about Bo.  
HOPE: Thanks.  
AIDEN: You know, a few days ago, he stopped by my office.  
HOPE: Did he?  
AIDEN: Yeah. And we talked for a while, about a bunch of stuff. Mostly you and Ciara, and kids, family, life. It was a nice talk.

 _ _J & D LAW OFFICES – FLASHBACK  
BO: Look, man, I know that we don't really get along. And, yeah, it's probably...no, it is mostly my fault. But, I have to admit, you are a good guy. And, Hope really seems to like you.  
AIDEN: Well, I appreciate that.  
BO: So, thank you for everything that you've done for Hope.  
AIDEN: I love Hope. I would never do anything to hurt her.  
BO: So do I. And I can tell, from the way that Ciara talks, that the both of them really like you. You're good to them.  
AIDEN: Well, they're great.  
BO: No, it's more than that, man. I can see how much Ciara adores you and Chase.  
AIDEN: We love her, as well.  
BO: Well, I guess we have more in common than I thought.  
AIDEN: I guess so.  
BO: So...I don't know how much time I've got left, and I just wanted to say...thank you for everything. You're a good man.  
AIDEN: So are you, Bo.  
Bo held out his hand. Aiden shook it. __

BRADY PUB  
Hope stood up and hugged Aiden.  
HOPE: Thank you.  
AIDEN: No problem.  
Jennifer walked over.  
HOPE: Hey.  
JENNIFER: Hey.  
Hope and Jennifer hugged.  
AIDEN: Well, I'll let you two talk.  
HOPE: No, Aiden, wait. Please. I'd like to talk to you. Both of you.  
Meanwhile, outside the back of the Pub, Steve walked over to an object covered by a large cloth. He pulled the cloth off, revealing Bo's motorcycle.  
STEVE: One last ride. This one's for you, buddy.  
Steve hopped on the motorcycle, started it, and rode off.

A few weeks later...

BRADY HOME  
Hope walked into the front door, grabbed a suitcase at the foot of the stairs and stopped.  
HOPE: Come on, Ciara. Last suitcase is going in the car!  
Hope took the suitcase out to her car and then walked back in. By the time she had, Ciara had walked down the stairs carrying her own suitcase.  
CIARA: Mom, how come I can't come with you for the whole trip?  
HOPE: Sweetheart, I wish you could. You know I wish you could. But, you have to go to school. You've already missed enough of it as it is.  
CIARA: But, I want to be with you!  
HOPE: I know. I know you do.  
Hope and Ciara hugged.  
HOPE: I know it's been hard these last couple of weeks.  
CIARA: It has been for all of us.  
HOPE: Yes, it has. But, Shawn and Chelsea and Aiden and Jen will take good care of you.  
CIARA: I know they will. I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about you.  
HOPE: Honey, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be okay.  
CIARA: Promise?  
HOPE: Of course I promise.  
They hugged again.  
HOPE: Hey, we're gonna have fun this weekend. Then, Uncle Steve is gonna pick you up. And, besides, I'll only be gone for a few weeks.  
CIARA: But, you'll call me every day, right?  
HOPE: Of course.  
CIARA: Okay. I love you, mom.  
HOPE: I love you too, Ciara. Now, come on. Let's go.  
Ciara put her suitcase in the car, then she and Hope drove off.

SALEM COUNTY JAIL  
André sat in his prison cell, meditating. He heard a clang on the metal bars of his cell door, and opened his eyes to see Officer Beck, still wearing his sunglasses and cap although he was inside, slide a tray of food into his cell. André stood, walked over, and examined the plate.  
ANDRE: Is this it? This is the best you can do?  
Officer Beck said nothing.  
ANDRE: Oh, don't try to give me that tough guy act. You think this is my first time in prison?  
Officer Beck continued to be stony faced. He gazed at André through his sunglasses.  
ANDRE: I don't even really belong in here, you know.  
BECK: Hey, pal, shut up.  
André dropped the tray on the ground, and got as close as he could to Officer Beck's face.  
ANDRE: Excuse me? What did you just say?  
The two glared at each other.  
ANDRE: You do not speak to me like that. Do you have any idea who I am?  
BECK: Actually, I do.  
André recognized the voice the second time Officer Beck spoke. He thought he was just imagining things the first time, but this time, he definitely heard that familiar voice. Officer Beck took off his cap and sunglasses to reveal his true identity.  
ANDRE: Bart?  
Indeed, it was Bart. He put a finger up to his mouth.  
BART: Ssh. Don't say another word.  
Bart got a little bit closer.  
BART (whispering): Look, Mr. D., I'm sorry that I had to do that, but I didn't want these suits getting suspicious, you know what I mean? Anyway, don't worry about a thing. Old Bart'll have you outta here in no time.  
André grinned and patted Bart on the cheek.


	18. Chapter 16

Darkness. Total darkness. And then...

Beep.

What was that? It was a noise. Was it...? Yes, it was. It was a machine.

A machine beeped. It beeped several times. Voices in the background. Then, more darkness.

A light. A small light pierced the darkness. To go towards the light? What would that mean? What was on the other side of that light? Was it the machine that was still beeping? Was it the voices that were faint in the background? Was it both?

More darkness.

There was always darkness. That was the one thing that could be counted on. There was always darkness.

There was that light again. A voice said to go towards the light. It wasn't the voices in the background, it was a voice in her head. "Go towards the light," it said. That machine continued in its beeping. The voices, which had been faint, were becoming clearer now. Two of them belonged to men, one to a woman. There was something in her throat. It felt like something was caught in her throat. The sensation lasted seconds only, and then was replaced by a dry feeling. The light grew brighter and brighter. The voices grew louder. And then...

A ceiling. A sterile, white ceiling. Fluorescent lights were part of the ceiling. Her throat was dry, as though she hadn't had a drink in a long time. She coughed several times. Then, at her one side, a machine beeped, showing her vitals and her heart rate. At the other stood a man. He was old, and had a kind smile.

"Welcome back," he said.

* * *

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
VOICE (over P.A.): Dr. Thomas Horton, please report to Room 171. Dr. Thomas Horton, Room 171.  
It had been several months since Tommy had returned to Salem with his daughter, Addie. Several months since he had rejoined the staff at University Hospital. He walked into a room, where one of the long term patients was staying. The person lay in bed, in a coma. Addie and Daniel were also in the room. Addie was taking the patient's vitals while Daniel stood at the foot of the patient's bed, trying to gauge the situation.  
TOMMY: What have we got?  
DANIEL: Patient is showing increased brain activity.  
ADDIE: What's strange is that her vitals are returning to that of a normal, healthy person. You say she's been in a coma for how long, Dr. Jonas?  
Daniel picked up the patient's chart and flipped through it.  
DANIEL: According to the chart, eleven years.  
TOMMY: Hm. Eleven years in a coma. It will be quite a shock to her when she wakes up.  
DANIEL: I was wondering if we should start to bring her out of it?  
TOMMY: Well, if we don't, she'll wake up by herself. Either way, we should be here to monitor her progress.  
Daniel, Addie and Tommy set to work bringing the patient out of a coma. When, at last, they felt it was safe, Tommy took the tube out of her mouth. Moments later, the patient's eyes slowly opened. She coughed several times, then started looking around. She looked confused. Tommy gave her a reassuring smile.  
TOMMY: Welcome back. I'm Dr. Thomas Horton.  
The patient coughed several times. Daniel brought her a cup of water, with a straw. He held the cup and put the straw up to her mouth.  
DANIEL: Take small sips.  
The patient did so. Then, she spoke, her voice slightly rough.  
PATIENT: Where am I?  
TOMMY: You're in Salem University Hospital. Do you recall your name?  
The patient nodded.  
TOMMY: What is your name?  
PATIENT: Jan Spears.

BRADY PUB  
A man walked in. He was a younger man, probably in his late 40s. He walked up to the counter and sat down. Chelsea walked over.  
CHELSEA: Hi.  
MAN: Hullo.  
The man spoke with an Irish accent.  
CHELSEA: Welcome to the Brady Pub. What can I get for you?  
MAN: Oh, just some chowder, thanks.  
Chelsea got a bowl of chowder and brought it out to the man.  
CHELSEA: Here you go.  
MAN: Cheers. So, you say this is the Brady Pub, then?  
Chelsea nodded.  
CHELSEA: Yeah. It belongs to my grandma.  
MAN: Brady. That sounds like an Irish last name.  
CHELSEA: It is, yeah. My grandpa was Irish.  
MAN: Was?  
CHELSEA: Yeah. He passed away a few years ago.  
MAN: Sorry to hear that.  
CHELSEA: Thanks. So, it sounds like you're a bit Irish yourself.  
MAN: Indeed, lass. Me brother and I have just come over for a bit. Wanted to check the place out.  
CHELSEA: Cool.  
The man looked around and saw a picture of Shawn, Caroline and their children on the wall.  
MAN: I take it that the old man is your grandfather.  
Chelsea looked at the picture.  
CHELSEA: Yep, that's him. Grandpa Shawn.  
MAN: Shawn Brady. An Irish name if ever there was one. Name's Hugh, by the way. Hugh Whelan.  
CHELSEA: I'm Chelsea.  
Chelsea looked at the clock.  
CHELSEA: I'll be back in a bit. I've just gotta go check on something in the back.  
HUGH: Right. I'll be here.  
Chelsea went in the back. Hugh looked around and got out his phone. He dialed a number. He spoke in Irish Gaelic (translations in English will be in parenthesis)  
HUGH: Fuair mé an áit. (I found the place.)  
Pause.  
HUGH: Nah, an sean-fhear marbh. Chinn mé a ghariníon agus bean chéile, cé. (Nah, the old man's dead. I found his granddaughter and wife, though.)  
Pause.  
HUGH: Ná bíodh imní ort, Eirnin. Fhios ag aon duine maidir linn ach go fóill. (Don't worry, Ernan. Nobody knows about us just yet.)

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
After checking Jan's vitals again, just to make sure that everything was okay and that she hadn't come out of the coma with any major health concerns, Tommy, Addie and Daniel sat down with her.  
JAN: So...what day is it?  
TOMMY: Today is Tuesday.  
JAN: Tuesday?  
Tommy nodded.  
JAN: Tuesday! Oh no! I'm gonna be late!  
DANIEL: Late for what?  
JAN: I have to get out of here! I need to go!  
ADDIE: Jan, you can't be released just yet. We're still trying to make sure that you're okay.  
JAN: But I have to go! I have this huge test today, and if I'm late, Mr. Woods is gonna flip!  
TOMMY: Mr. Woods?  
JAN: Yeah, he's my teacher. I've gotta go! He'll kill me if I miss his test again!  
DANIEL: Jan...like Dr. Horton said, you can't go anywhere just yet.  
JAN: But, I have to! If I miss this test, Mr. Woods said I won't be able to go to prom. And if I don't go to prom, Jason is gonna be so angry with me.  
ADDIE: Prom?  
JAN: You know, prom. The most exciting dance of the high school year. I mean, I'm a freshmen this year, so I shouldn't technically be able to go, but Jason's gonna sneak me in.  
The three doctors exchanged looks.  
TOMMY: Um, Jan, do you know what year it is?  
JAN: Of course I do. It's 1999.  
A short while later, Tommy and Addie watched from a glass window as Daniel spoke to Jan about the incident that had led to her coma and subsequent amnesia.  
ADDIE: I'm sure this is a great shock to her.  
TOMMY: Finding out that she's in her early 30s and it's 2016? Yes, I'm sure it is, as well. Even moreso when she finally gets her memory back.  
ADDIE: We should have a psychiatrist talk to her. Culture shock, and all that.  
TOMMY: I agree. Dr. Evans should do. I'll go and speak with her.  
Tommy left the room.

SALEM HIGH  
Claire and Ciara were standing by their lockers. Ciara was taking books out of her locker and putting them in her bag.  
CLAIRE: So, I hear that the end of year dance is coming up in about a month or two.  
CIARA: Yeah?  
CLAIRE: Yeah.  
CIARA: What's the theme this year?  
CLAIRE: You'll never guess: the Last Blast.  
CIARA: Well, of course it's the Last Blast. It's always the Last Blast. It has been ever since Shawn and Belle were in school.  
CLAIRE: True.  
CIARA: So, what's the actual theme this time around?  
CLAIRE: Oh, this is a good one: "Those Who've Gone Before".  
CIARA: What's that even supposed to mean?  
CLAIRE: It's supposed to be themed around all of the major celebrities who've died this year. You know, David Bowie, Prince, Glenn Frey, Paul Kantner, those sort of people.  
CIARA: Gotcha. So, you going with anyone?  
CLAIRE: I don't know. I kinda thought we could go as a group.  
CIARA: With who?  
CLAIRE: Well, the two of us, obviously.  
CIARA: Yeah.  
CLAIRE: Plus Joey, Theo, Chase and Henri.  
CIARA: Have you talked to any of the others about this yet?  
CLAIRE: Not yet, but I will soon.  
CIARA: Well, I think it sounds cool.  
CLAIRE: Good. So, you're staying with us this weekend, right?  
CIARA: Yep. After Aiden picks me up and I get some of my stuff, I'll be heading over.  
CLAIRE: Awesome!  
Ciara shut her locker, and the two started walking.  
CLAIRE: I'm really excited for the dance! It's gonna be so fun!  
CIARA: It so will! If it's anything like Shawn's told me it was when he was a kid, it'll be awesome!  
The girls were talking excitedly, and a girl with dark brown hair pushed her way past them, not even making any effort to go around. She simply brushed past Ciara, but actually shoved Claire.  
GIRL: Watch where you're going, losers!  
They turned around as the girl walked down the hall.  
CIARA: Well, that was rude!  
CLAIRE: Totally!  
CIARA: You okay?  
CLAIRE: Yeah, I'm fine.  
CIARA: Looks like Jade hasn't gotten any friendlier lately.  
Both rolled their eyes. The bell rang which signaled that class was about to start.  
CLAIRE: Well, don't worry about her. Come on. Off to Geometry.  
The girls walked down the hall.

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
MARLENA: I don't think you know what you're asking me to do.  
Tommy sat across the desk from Marlena in her office.  
TOMMY: It's not anything you shouldn't already have done. Surely you've encountered patients with amnesia before.  
MARLENA: I have, and don't call me Shirley.  
TOMMY: I assume you knew Jan from before she went into her coma?  
MARLENA: Not well, but I knew enough. I knew her more from what I heard from others, and what little I saw. She went to high school with my daughter, Belle. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good experience for either of them.  
Marlena sighed.  
MARLENA: But, as a doctor, I must put my personal feelings aside and remain professional at all times. So...if you think that I'm really the best person for the job, I'll do it.  
TOMMY: Excellent. I'll take you to her.  
Tommy led Marlena to Jan's room. She was sitting up in her bed.  
TOMMY: Hello, Jan. How are you feeling?  
JAN: Okay, I guess. Confused, but okay.  
TOMMY: That's understandable.  
JAN: Is this really 2016?  
TOMMY: It is, yes.  
JAN: That would make me...32?  
TOMMY: Indeed it would.  
Tommy motioned to Marlena.  
TOMMY: Jan, this is Dr. Evans. She's going to be talking to you about some things for a while. At least until you get your memory back.  
JAN: Dr. Evans...that's a nice name.  
MARLENA: Thank you.  
Marlena sat down in a chair near the bed.  
JAN: Did we meet? Before my accident, I mean. I know I was in an accident, because that's what Dr. Jonas and Dr. Horton have told me, but I don't remember it.  
MARLENA: We had met, yes. Only a handful of times.  
JAN: Okay.  
MARLENA: Jan, what's the last thing you remmeber?  
Jan thought for a moment.  
JAN: I was in school, hanging out with my boyfriend, Jason. And there was this new girl. I know this might not be nice to say, but she was kinda frumpy looking and had baggy, black clothes. She wasn't, like, goth or anything. Actually, she looked kinda ghoulish. Actually, Jason and I came up with this nickname for her: Ghoul Girl. Again, like I said, not the nicest.  
MARLENA: I see.

CLAIRE'S BEDROOM  
It was now mid afternoon. Claire was sitting on her bed, doing things on her laptop. Ciara walked in. Claire looked up.  
CIARA: Hey.  
CLAIRE: Hey.  
CIARA: Whatcha doin'?  
CLAIRE: Just putting up a video on YouTube. I did a cover of this really cool song by Carole King, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow".  
CIARA: That's cool.  
Ciara put her backpack down and sat on the bed next to Claire.  
CIARA: How many likes has it gotten so far?  
CLAIRE: Well, I only just put it up, so it hasn't gotten any yet.  
CIARA: Well, I'm sure it'll get, like, a thousand.  
Claire laughed.  
CLAIRE: I wish. So, what do you want to do tonight?  
CIARA: Well, since you're the music expert, I figured maybe you could educate me on some of the singers who've died so I have some idea of what's going on at the Last Blast.  
CLAIRE: That would be awesome! Okay, we have to start with Bowie!

ALLEYWAY  
Hugh stood in an alley behind the Brady Pub. He looked around, as if waiting for someone. Quite soon, the person he was waiting for showed up. He was a few years older than Hugh, probably in his early 50s. The two looked similar. This is Hugh's brother, Ernan. Like Hugh, he speaks in an Irish accent, only his is thicker.  
ERNAN: What have you found?  
HUGH: Not much so far. Just that the old man is dead, which we knew already. The girl said that her grandmother is still alive, but I doubt she knows anything.  
ERNAN: What about the other old man?  
HUGH: Him? Didn't you hear, he died years ago.  
ERNAN: Oh, I know his type. Death is too good for him.  
HUGH: So, what do we do now, Eirnin?  
ERNAN: I think it's time we paid them a visit.  
The two men walked off.

DIMERA MANSION  
Bart was walking around.  
BART: Man, it is so weird being back in this place again. It feels like it's been so long! I wonder if...  
Bart walked down the stairs and knocked on a door. Rolf opened the door.  
BART: Rolfie! My buddy! How are ya?  
Rolf sighed.  
ROLF: Bart, what are you doing here?

CLAIRE'S BEDROOM  
Claire and Ciara were watching YouTube videos on Claire's laptop. They had just finished watching a clip from Chappelle's Show.  
CIARA: So that was actually Rick James?  
CLAIRE: During the bits with the green screen in the background, yeah.  
CIARA: That's so cool that they got the real him!  
CLAIRE: I know!  
CIARA: Okay, so my favorite so far was definitely "Underground" by David Bowie.  
CLAIRE: If you liked that, I'll have to show you the movie Labyrinth. That's where it comes from.  
CIARA: I'd love to see it.  
Claire stood up.  
CLAIRE: I'll be right back.  
CIARA: Hey, it looks like you got a comment on that video you put up earlier.  
CLAIRE: Cool. Take a look and tell me about it when I get back.  
CIARA: All right.  
Claire left the room. Ciara clicked on the notification and read the comment that someone had left on Claire's "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" video. She looked slightly concerned. A moment later, Claire walked back in.  
CLAIRE: Hey.  
Ciara quickly shut the laptop.  
CIARA: Hey.  
CLAIRE: What'd the comment say?  
CIARA: Oh, that? It was nothing. I thought it was a comment, but it wasn't. It was just some random notification.  
CLAIRE: About what?  
CIARA: I don't know. Some band you like put up some new video or something.  
CLAIRE: Ciara, you're hiding something from me. What is it?  
CIARA: Seriously, it's nothing. Sorry to get you excited over nothing.  
CLAIRE: Let me see.  
Claire opened the laptop.  
CIARA: No, Claire, you really don't want to do that...  
CLAIRE: Sure I do. I mean, it can't be that bad, right?  
Claire scrolled down to the comments section. Her face fell as she read the comment: "Sure, I'll love you tomorrow, as long as you stop screeching into your computer. Singing? Please, girl, don't flatter yourself. A dying cat sounds better. lol" Claire closed the window and shut her laptop.  
CIARA: Claire, I'm sorry.  
CLAIRE: It's...it's fine. I'm fine.  
CIARA: You sure?  
CLAIRE: Yeah...yeah. It's whatever. Let's just go watch Labyrinth.  
CIARA: Okay.  
Claire walked out of the room. Ciara followed her.


	19. Chapter 17

DIMERA MANSION  
ROLF: What are you doing here?  
BART: Oh, come on, doc. You know what I'm doing here. You are the one who brought me back after all.  
ROLF: I am aware zat I brought you back to life, a move which I am more and more beginning to question. What I mean iz, what are you doing here now. I thought zat André instructed you to go into hiding.  
BART: He did. But then, I found out that he was in trouble...

 _ _SALEM COUNTY JAIL - FLASHBACK  
Bart had been posing as a member of the Salem Police Department for a few months now. He was going by the name Officer Beck. He had been the one to arrest Ben Weston. He always made sure to wear his cap and sunglasses, so as not to arouse suspicion. After all, he wasn't technically supposed to be here. Bart had heard rumblings about André being arrested, but the whole of the Salem P.D. went into mourning when Bo had died, and because Bart was supposed to be an officer, he had to do what his superiors told him to do. One day, however, he snuck into the Salem County Jail under the guise of delivering food to the inmates. Eventually, he found André cell. André was sitting on the floor, meditating. Bart tapped the metal bars with his tray and slid the tray through. André got up and examined the contents of the package.  
ANDRE: Is this it? This is the best you can do?  
Though it was hard, Bart said nothing.  
ANDRE: Oh, don't try to give me that tough guy act. You think this is my first time in prison?  
Bart gazed at André through his sunglasses. If only he knew...  
ANDRE: I don't even really belong in here, you know.  
BART: Hey, pal, shut up.  
Had he given himself away? No, it seemed he hadn't. But, he had angered André, which is never a good thing. André got up to the bars so that his face was inches from Bart's.  
ANDRE: Excuse me? What did you just say?  
The two glared at each other.  
ANDRE: You do not speak to me like that. Do you have any idea who I am?  
Now was the time. If he had any hopes of seeing tomorrow, Bart knew that he had to reveal himself.  
BART: Actually, I do.  
So, he took off his cap and sunglasses to reveal his true identity.  
ANDRE: Bart?  
Bart put a finger up to his mouth.  
BART: Ssh. Don't say another word.  
Bart got a little bit closer.  
BART (whispering): Look, Mr. D., I'm sorry that I had to do that, but I didn't want these suits getting suspicious, you know what I mean? Anway, don't worry about a thing. Old Bart'll have you outta here in no time.  
André grinned and patted Bart on the cheek.__

DIMERA MANSION  
BART: ...and after that, it was pretty easy. I mean, the Salem P.D. are no geniuses, so I just waited until evening one night and pretended I was on laundry duty. Mr. D got into the cart, I covered him with towels, and we snuck out the back. Nobody was any the wiser.  
ROLF: You mean...he's here? André has returned?  
ANDRE: Yes, he has.  
Rolf jumped and turned to see André standing behind him.  
ROLF: André...  
ANDRE: Hello, Rolf. It's good to be back.  
The three heard the sound of a doorbell.  
BART: One sec.  
ANDRE: Oh, don't worry. Harold will get it.  
BART: Who?  
ROLF: Harold. He is ze butler.  
BART: Well, looks like things really have changed around here.

BRADY PUB  
Hugh sat in one of the booths, drinking a cup of coffee. After a few minutes, Ernan walked in.  
HUGH: Where've you been?  
ERNAN: Well, I had to take Nollaig to school, didn't I?  
HUGH: She could've taken the bus.  
ERNAN: It's her first day. I still had to register her.  
HUGH: Fair enough.  
ERNAN: So, how did it go yesterday?  
HUGH: Well, aside from getting a door slammed in my face, not well.  
ERNAN: What the hell did you say to them?  
HUGH: Only that I wanted to see the big man.  
ERNAN: You bloomin' numbskull! Ye don't start off with that! And even if you did, there's a way to go about it!  
HUGH: Well, why don't you do it, then?  
ERNAN: Looks like I'll have to now, doesn't it?  
HUGH: Look, Eirnin, I'm sorry, okay? But, give me a break. I'm still new at this.  
ERNAN: Well, get used to it. You've got to learn quickly, boy. There's no room in this business for slow learners.

SALEM HIGH  
Ciara and Claire were standing by their lockers, getting their things for their first class. They saw a young girl run by, carrying her books in her arms. The girl was about Ciara's age, with dirty blonde hair. It was unfortunate for the girl that she was going to exact opposite direction that Jade was. Jade nudged the girl into the wall, forcing her to drop her books.  
JADE: Next time, watch where you're going, squirt.  
Ciara and Claire walked over to the girl, who was dusting herself off. They helped pick up her books.  
GIRL: Thanks.  
The girl spoke with a light Irish accent.  
CIARA: No problem. You okay?  
GIRL: Yeah, I'm fine.  
CLAIRE: That's Jade. She's like that with everyone.  
GIRL: Seems like a piece of work.  
CLAIRE: She is.  
CIARA: Are you new here?  
The girl nodded.  
GIRL: My family just moved here from Ireland.  
CLAIRE: Cool. I'm Claire. This is Ciara.  
CIARA: Hey.  
GIRL: Hi. I'm Noelle.  
CLAIRE: So, what's your first class?  
NOELLE: I've no idea. This is my first day, and I've only just come to America, and I have no idea where I am or what I'm doing.  
CLAIRE: Kinda nervous, huh?  
Noelle nodded.  
CIARA: That's okay. We were both nervous our first day, too. We'll help you, though. You have a schedule, right?  
NOELLE: I'm sure my schedule is in here somewhere.  
Noelle looked through a small amount of papers, until she found the right one.  
NOELLE: Found it.  
She handed it to Ciara.  
CIARA: Looks like your first class is Biology with Mr. Woods.  
CLAIRE: Which is also our first class. We'll show you where it is.  
NOELLE: Cool. Thanks.  
CIARA: No problem. Welcome to Salem High.  
Ciara and Claire led Noelle to their first class.

SALEM PLACE  
Marlena and Jan were walking outside.  
JAN: This is so weird!  
MARLENA: What is?  
JAN: This. This place is totally different to how I remember it.  
MARLENA: It can be a bit of a shock, yes. That's why I only want you to go on short outings for the time being.  
JAN: Makes sense.  
MARLENA: So, this looks familiar?  
JAN: I mean, kind of. It's way different than I remember. Java Café is completely different. All of the stores are so...updated.  
MARLENA: It can be overwhelming.  
JAN: A little, I guess. I mean, I'm fine. It'll just take a little getting used to.  
Belle was also walking through Salem Place. She ha just come out of the Java Café and stopped when she saw Jan and Marlena.  
BELLE (whispering): Oh my god!

DIMERA MANSION  
Ernan walked up to the door and pounded on it. Harold opened it.  
HAROLD: May I help you?  
ERNAN: I'm here to see the big man.  
HAROLD: I beg your pardon?  
ERNAN: Your boss, you twit. I want to see him.  
HAROLD: I am afraid he is very busy at the moment.  
ERNAN: Well then he'll have to rearrange his schedule to fit me in right now, then, won't he?  
HAROLD: I...  
ERNAN: Look, are you gonna let me in, or am I gonna have to use that tea towel you're carrying as a noose?  
André sat in the study of the Mansion, looking over Stefano's old chess board. He picked up a black pawn. Harold walked in and cleared his throat.  
ANDRE: Yes?  
HAROLD: Forgive my intrusion, sir, but you have a rather persistant guest. I am afraid it is the same one from earlier. I told him to leave, that you were very busy, but he insists on seeing you.  
ANDRE: The board is set. All the players are in their place. Let the games begin.  
HAROLD: Sir?  
André looked up.  
ANDRE: Send him in.  
HAROLD: Right away, sir.  
Moments later, Harold walked in with Ernan.  
HAROLD: Here you are, sir. The gentleman refuses to give me his name, therefore I cannot introduce him.  
ANDRE: Not a problem, Harold. You may go.  
Harold bowed and walked out. André gestured to the board.  
ANDRE: Take a seat.  
ERNAN: I'm not much for games.  
ANDRE: Pity. I haven't had a good excuse since my father died.  
ERNAN: So, it's true, then? After all these years, the great Stefano DiMera is finally dead?  
ANDRE: It appears that way, yes.  
ERNAN: And who might you be?  
ANDRE: I might be any number of people. As it happens, I am Stefano's son, heir to the DiMera Empire. And you?  
ERNAN: Eirnin, leader of the Clan Ó Faoláin!  
ANDRE: And what can I do for you?  
ERNAN: Stay out of my way. I had dealings with your father once when he crossed into my territory. Do not make his mistake.  
ANDRE: Oh, but I'm afraid it is you who has made the mistake.  
André walked over so that he was merely inches from Ernan. He leaned over and whispered into Ernan's ear. When he was done, Ernan looked at him in shock.  
ANDRE: So, as you can see, you're in my territory, now. Word of advice: tread very lightly.  
André smirked. Ernan turned and walked away. André went back to his chess board, put the black pawn, which was still in his hand, back on the board, moved it forward and chuckled.  
ANDRE: I have made the first move.

SALEM PLACE  
Belle did a double take, because she wasn't sure that she had actually seen what she thought she saw. But, she had. She walked into an alleyway nearby and dialed a number on her phone.  
BELLE: Hey. You would not believe what I have just seen!

J & D LAW OFFICE  
At the law office that he shared with Andrew Donovan, Aiden was on the phone.  
AIDEN: Yes, of course. I understand. Right. I'll have those papers to you by the end of the day.  
Andrew walked in. Aiden mouthed "One sec". Andrew nodded, and looked at a picture of Hope, Aiden, Chase and Ciara on Aiden's desk.  
AIDEN: Okay. You too. Bye.  
Aiden hung up the phone.  
ANDREW: I take it our dear friend the D.A. is still as ruthless as ever?  
Aiden nodded.  
AIDEN: You know, Hope tells me that Justin used to be a nice guy before all this. But, honestly, I'm gonna have to take her word for it, because I'm just not seeing it.  
ANDREW: Forward his calls to me next time. I'll deal with him.  
AIDEN: Thanks.  
ANDREW: On a slightly happier subject, I've got us a new client.  
AIDEN: Excellent. Who?  
ANDREW: Be right back.  
Andrew walked out, and then walked in, with Hugh slightly behind him.

SALEM HIGH  
It was nearing the end of the school day. Joey was putting his things back in his locker. Claire walked up.  
CLAIRE: Hey, Joey.  
JOEY: Hey. What's up?  
CLAIRE: Not much. Getting ready for my last class.  
JOEY: That's cool. Hey, how'd you do on Woods' bio test last week?  
CLAIRE: A. You?  
JOEY: C-.  
CLAIRE: Well, you'll do better next time.  
JOEY: Thanks. I would've gotten an A, but he killed me on those diagrams.  
CLAIRE: Understandable. They were pretty tough.  
JOEY: Yeah.  
CLAIRE: So, you heard about the Last Blast coming up in a month, right?  
JOEY: Totally! Who hasn't?  
CLAIRE: I know, right? Anyway, Ciara and I are trying to get a group together. You know, we can all go as friends. And, we were wondering, do you wanna come with us?  
Joey looked down at his shoes.  
JOEY: Well...  
CLAIRE: "Well" what?  
Joey looked up.  
JOEY: Look, Claire, I really appreciate the offer and stuff. But...I kinda already agreed to go with someone else.  
CLAIRE: Oh.  
JOEY: Yeah. Sorry.  
CLAIRE: Hey, it's cool. No problem. So, who's the lucky girl?  
Jade walked up just as the conversation was ending.  
JADE: Who do you think?  
She wrapped her arms around Joey and kissed him on the cheek.  
CLAIRE: Jade.  
JADE: Oh, hi Claude.  
CLAIRE: It's Claire.  
JADE: Whatever. I don't really care. What do you want?  
CLAIRE: I was trying to talk to Joey.  
JADE: Yeah? Well, Joey doesn't have time to talk to you right now. So, scram!  
Claire looked from Jade to Joey, rolled her eyes, then turned and walked away.  
JOEY: Why do you have to do that?  
JADE: Do what?  
JOEY: Be like that? Claire's a nice girl.  
JADE: Oh, please. She's a frickin' stuck up little princess. She thinks she's too good for you.  
JOEY: She's really not like that. She's actually really nice.  
JADE: Don't be stupid.  
JOEY: Just, don't talk to my friends like that, okay?  
JADE: Whatever.  
Meanwhile, in another part of the school, Ciara was showing Noelle around.  
NOELLE: Thanks for using your free period to show me around.  
CIARA: Hey, no problem. So, what do you think of Salem High so far?  
NOELLE: It's really big! Way bigger than the school I went to back in Ireland.  
CIARA: Yeah. It seemed huge on my first day, too. You'll learn your way around here eventually.  
NOELLE: I hope so.  
CIARA: You will.  
The girls turned a corner.  
CIARA: And, our final stop on the tour, the drama hall. This is where all the acting classes are.  
NOELLE: Cool.  
Noelle looked at some of the posters on the wall.  
NOELLE: What's this?  
CIARA: Ah, that's a poster for the Last Blast Dance. It's the school's big end of year dance.  
NOELLE: Oh, nice.  
CIARA: Speaking of which, Claire and I are trying to get a group of people together for the dance. You could join us, if you want.  
NOELLE: Really?  
CIARA: Sure. I talked to Claire during lunch, and she's cool with it.  
NOELLE: That would be so great! Thanks, Ciara!  
CIARA: You're welcome.

J & D LAW OFFICE  
ANDREW: Aiden, this is-  
HUGH: Hugh. Hugh Whelan.  
ANDREW: Hugh Whelan.  
HUGH: Sorry, I gave you the Gaelic version earlier, Mr. Donovan. Honestly, though, I prefer my anglicized name.  
ANDREW: Not a problem. Hugh, this is my business partner, Aiden Jennings.  
HUGH: Good to meet you, Mr. Jennings.  
Aiden stood. He and Hugh shook hands.  
AIDEN: You too. And, you can call me Aiden. Please, take a seat.  
Aiden gestured to a seat across from his.  
HUGH: Right.  
All three men sat down.  
AIDEN: So, what can we do for you?  
HUGH: I'd like a bit of legal advice.  
AIDEN: Okay. What kind of legal advice?  
HUGH: Custody agreements.


	20. Chapter 18

SALEM HIGH  
It is now the next day. Ciara and Claire were walking down by the Theatre hallway. Henri walked up to them.  
HENRI: Hey, guys.  
CLAIRE: Hey.  
CIARA: What's up?  
HENRI: Oh, just got out of Acting. By the way, the cast list for the summer musical is up.  
CLAIRE: That's cool.  
CIARA: What's the play, again?  
HENRI: Evita. One of the best musicals ever written by Andrew Lloyd Webber!  
CIARA: Oh, yeah! I remember you telling me that you audtioned for that, Claire.  
CLAIRE: Mhmm. So, Henri, who'd you get?  
HENRI: I'm just one of Peron's advisors. It's cool, though. I get a few lines in one of the songs. I think you got a part too, Claire.  
CLAIRE: Really?  
HENRI: Yeah. Check the list.  
Claire, Ciara and Henri ran to the board and looked at the list. Claire scanned it with her eyes until she found her name. Across from her name was "Eva Peron (Understudy)".  
CIARA: Eva Peron! That's the lead! You got the lead role!  
CLAIRE: I got the understudy lead, which is still pretty cool.  
CIARA: It's pretty much the same thing.  
HENRI: Yeah. So, who's playing Eva?  
They looked over the sheet again. At the very top was the name "Eva Peron". Across from it was "Jade Michaels".  
CLAIRE: Oh, great. Jade.  
CIARA: What?! That doesn't make any sense! She's not even a blonde!  
HENRI: She doesn't have to be.  
CIARA: What do you mean?  
CLAIRE: Eva was originally a brunette, and starts out that way in the play. Then, shortly before the end of the first act, the actress who plays her puts on a blonde wig for the duration.  
CIARA: Gotcha.  
CLAIRE: And, on the off chance that Jade isn't able to perform, I get to play Eva.  
CIARA: I still don't get it. Jade hates musicals! Did she even audition?  
HENRI: She had to, otherwise she wouldn't get a role. Let alone the lead one.  
CLAIRE: Great.  
HENRI: Yeah, I'm not thrilled with Mrs. Shuler's decision either, but she is the musical director.  
CLAIRE: True.  
Chase passed by.  
CHASE: Hey guys.  
CLAIRE: Hey. Congrats on getting the part of Che.  
CHASE: Thanks. You too on getting the part of the understudy for Eva. Can't wait to sing with you.  
CLAIRE: If we get the chance to. I only get to do it if Jade isn't able to.  
CHASE: True. I hope we still get to rehearse together, though.  
CLAIRE: We can, yeah. I'd love to.  
CHASE: Great! So, Henri, you're joining us for the Last Blast, right?  
HENRI: Totally! I can't wait!  
CIARA: This is gonna be so awesome!

HORTON HOME  
J.J. was strumming his guitar, just playing random notes on it, thinking of what song to play. His thoughts were interrupted by the ring of his cell phone. He set down the guitar, picked up the phone, and answered it.  
J.J.: Hello? Yes, this is J.J. Deveraux. Okay. You do know that I only have a guitar, right?  
Paige walked in.  
PAIGE: Hey.  
J.J.: Yeah, that's fine. I'm sure it'll be good.  
J.J. mouthed "Hey" to Paige.  
J.J.: Just out of curiosity, what is it? I see. Yeah, that's fine. I'll be there tonight.  
J.J. hung up his phone. He walked over to Paige and they kissed.  
J.J.: Hey.  
PAIGE: Hey. Who was that?  
J.J.: One of the drama teachers over at Salem High. She wants me to go over to the school tonight and help with music for the rehersal for the summer play.  
PAIGE: That should be fun.  
J.J. nodded.

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
There was a knock on the door of Marlena's office.  
MARLENA: Come in.  
Belle walked in.  
BELLE: Hi, mom.  
MARLENA: Hi honey.  
BELLE: Have you got a minute?  
MARLENA: Certainly. What's up?  
BELLE: Well...I saw something the other day, and I wanted to make sure that I actually saw what I thought I saw.  
MARLENA: All right. What did you think you saw?  
BELLE: You and Jan Spears. A couple of days ago, I was at the Java Cafe, and as I walked out, I saw you and Jan Spears taking a casual stroll through Salem Place.  
MARLENA: That is what you saw, yes.  
BELLE: Okay. Why? Why would you have anything to do with Jan Spears?  
MARLENA: I can't discuss it.  
BELLE: Seriously?  
MARLENA: Yes. I am not at liberty to discuss the situation that led to myself and Jan taking a walk through Salem Place.  
BELLE: So, she's a patient. At least tell me this, how much does she remember?  
MARLENA: I'm not at liberty to discuss it...but, it's far less than we would think.  
In another part of the hospital, Shawn-D was getting his annual flu shot. Addie had given it to him.  
SHAWN-D: Thanks.  
ADDIE: Not a problem. Your arm might be sore for a day or two, so take it easy with that arm.  
SHAWN-D: Thanks.  
Shawn-D stood up and walked out of the room. He was just about to go down to Marlena's office, when he stopped. He turned and saw a familiar face.  
SHAWN-D (under his breath): Oh no. Not her.  
Sure enough, Jan was walking by.  
SHAWN-D (thinking): Maybe she hasn't seen me. Please, don't let her see me.  
She turned to look at him, and stopped walking.  
JAN: Hi.  
SHAWN-D (thinking): Oh, god. She's seen me.  
Shawn-D turned around to look at Jan.  
SHAWN-D: Hi, Jan.  
JAN: Oh, so we have met before. Cool. You looked kinda familiar, I just wasn't sure.  
SHAWN-D: Yeah. Yeah, we know each other.  
JAN: Oh, cool. So, are we, like, friends or something?  
SHAWN-D: I, uh, I wouldn't go that far.  
JAN: Why? What do you mean?  
SHAWN-D: We were...close once, I guess you could say, but I wouldn't exactly call us friends.  
JAN: Oh.  
SHAWN-D: You can stop acting like you don't know me now. It's just the two of us.  
JAN: But, I don't. Or, at least, if I do, I can't remember.  
SHAWN-D: Okay. Whatever.  
Shawn-D began to walk away.  
JAN: Wait, where are you going?  
SHAWN-D: Off to find Belle.  
But, there was no need, as Belle soon walked up.  
BELLE: Jan.  
JAN: Have we met?  
SHAWN-D: Oh, come on!  
JAN: I'm sorry, but I honestly don't remember you. Either of you.  
BELLE: I wish I could forget.  
JAN: Something really bad must have happened between us, huh?  
BELLE: You could say that.  
JAN: What happened?  
Shawn-D and Belle both hesitated.  
JAN: Please, I want to know. Look, whatever happened, I really do not remember anything. The last thing I remember was I was getting ready for bed and it was 1999.  
BELLE: That's really the last thing you remember?  
JAN: Yes. So, please, give me something. Anything.  
Shawn-D looked at his watch.  
SHAWN-D: Talk to Marlena. Right now, Belle and I have to go.  
Shawn-D and Belle left.

SALEM HIGH  
It is now evening. The theatre group, which includes Chase, Claire, Jade, Joey and Henri are gathered in the theatre, along with J.J. and the theatre director, Mrs. Shuler. They were in mid practice.  
SHULER: Okay, let's take it from "Rainbow Tour". Again, this is just our first practice run, so just do what you can. In later rehearsals, we'll have a full band. Chase, I believe your line is first.  
Chase nodded. J.J., who had sheet music in front of him, turned the page and started strumming.  
CHASE (singing): Spain has fallen to the charms of Evita. She can do what she likes it doesn't matter much. She's the new world Madonna with the golden touch...  
JADE: I'm sorry, can we stop?  
Chase rolled his eyes.  
SHULER: Miss Michaels, something you wish to share?  
JADE: Mrs. Shuler, I'm sorry, but seriously? "New world Madonna"? Really? I mean, just because she was in the movie, and she wasn't even that great...  
HENRI: Actually, that line was written way before Madonna was even relevant. It's meant to compare Eva to the Virgin Mary.  
JADE: Did I ask your opinion? Hmm, let me think. No.  
SHULER: Miss Michaels, that will do. Mr. Gregson's point stands. Let's take it from the top.  
J.J. began playing again.  
JADE (whispering): This is stupid. I'm right, she's wrong.  
JOEY (whispering): If it's stupid, why did you join?  
JADE (whispering): Shut up.  
A short time later, Ciara was watching from the doorway.  
SHULER: Okay, next up is "Another Suitcase". Miss Michaels, Miss Adams and Mr. Jennings, when you're ready.  
Jade and Chase stood and looked around for the third student that Mrs. Shuler had called.  
HENRI: Mrs. Shuler, I don't think Nina's here.  
SHULER: Okay, well, would someone else like to stand in for her?  
Claire raised her hand.  
CLAIRE: "Another Suitcase" is one of my favorite songs, Mrs. Shuler.  
SHULER: Very good, Miss Brady.  
Claire stood. She, Jade and Chase looked over their scripts. J.J. began strumming.  
JADE (singing): Hello and goodbye, I just unemployed you. You can go back to school. You've had a good run, I'm sure he enjoyed you. Don't act sad or surprised, let's be friends, civilized. Come on little one, don't sit there like a dummy.  
Jade pats Claire's head.  
JADE (singing): The day you knew would arrive is here, you'll survive. So move, funny face!  
Jade put on her jacket, making sure that it hit Claire, but that it looked like an accident.  
JADE (singing): I like your conversation, you've a catchy turn of phrase.  
Jade sat down and mouthed an expletive to Claire.  
CLAIRE (singing): I don't expect my love affairs to last for long. Never fool myself that my dreams will come true. Being used to trouble, I anticipate it. But all the same I hate it. Wouldn't you? So what happens now?  
CHASE (singing): Another suitcase in another hall.  
CLAIRE (singing): So what happens now?  
CHASE (singing): Take your picture off another wall.  
CLAIRE (singing): Where am I going to?  
CHASE (singing): You'll get by, you always have before.  
CLAIRE (singing): Where am I going to? Time and time again, I've said that I don't care. That I'm immune to gloom, that I'm hard through and through. But every time it matters, all my words desert me. So anyone can hurt me, and they do. So what happens now?  
CHASE (singing): Another suitcase in another hall.  
CLAIRE (singing): So what happens now?  
CHASE (singing): Take your picture off another wall.  
CLAIRE (singing): Where am I going to?  
CHASE (singing): You'll get by, you always have before.  
CLAIRE (singing): Where am I going to? Call in three months time and I'll be fine, I know. Well, maybe not that fine, but I'll survive anyhow. I won't recall the names and places of each sad occasion But that's no consolation here and now. So what happens now?  
CHASE (singing): Another suitcase in another hall.  
CLAIRE (singing): So what happens now?  
CHASE (singing): Take your picture off another wall.  
CLAIRE (singing): Where am I going to?  
CHASE (singing): You'll get by, you always have before.  
CLAIRE (singing): Where am I going to?  
Chase put a hand on Claire's shoulder.  
CHASE (singing): Don't ask anymore.  
J.J. finished strumming, and Claire and Chase sat back down.  
SHULER: All right, everybody. Let's just leave it there for tonight. That was good, for a first practice. We'll see you all here tomorrow. Same time.  
All of the students began packing up their things and leaving the room.  
J.J.: Joey.  
JOEY: Sup?  
J.J.: Can we talk for a minute?  
JOEY: Sure.  
Joey picked up his bag and brought it over by J.J., who was still putting away his sheet music. Jade followed. J.J. looked up.  
J.J.: Privately.  
JADE: Anything you can say to Joey, you can say to me.  
JOEY: It's okay. I'll just meet you outside.  
Jade rolled her eyes, but she kissed Joey on the cheek and walked away.  
JOEY: So, what's goin' on?  
J.J.: That's actually what I want to know.  
JOEY: Okay...  
J.J.: What's up with you and Jade?  
Claire walked out of the theatre and met up with Ciara.  
CLAIRE: Hey.  
CIARA: Hey. You did really good on that song.  
CLAIRE: Thanks. How much of that did you see?  
CIARA: Mostly just the song you did. But, a little bit of the one before it.  
CLAIRE: Oh, cool.  
CIARA: You okay?  
CLAIRE: Yeah, I'm fine. Why?  
CIARA: I don't know. It looked like Jade hit you pretty hard.  
CLAIRE: It was just a jacket. Nothing to worry about.  
The two walked off together.  
JOEY: What about me and Jade?  
J.J.: I don't know, man, I'm just not getting a good vibe from her.  
JOEY: You don't even know her.  
J.J.: No, but I've seen stuff tonight. And I don't like what I've seen.  
JOEY: Like what?  
J.J.: Like when she hit Claire with her jacket, making sure it was the zipper part that got her.  
JOEY: Come on, dude. That was an accident.  
J.J.: Looked that way, didn't it?  
JOEY: What are you trying to say to me?  
J.J.: All I'm saying is, be careful.  
JOEY: Thanks for the concern, but it's completely unneeded.  
J.J.: All I'm saying, Claire's your cousin. And if she treats your family like that, that's not cool.  
JOEY: You're overreacting! Like I said, it was an accident. Besides, it's not like she would ever intentionally hurt Claire. Look, I get that Jade comes off a bit rude sometimes, but it's just a front.  
J.J.: Whatever, dude. I'm just calling it as I see it. But, if you ever wanna talk about it, I'm here.  
J.J. picked up his sheet music and guitar and walked out. Jade walked in.  
JADE: What was that all about?  
JOEY: Nothin'. Doesn't matter. Let's get outta here.

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
Jan knocked on the door to Marlena's office.  
MARLENA: Come in.  
Jan walked in the door.  
MARLENA: Jan. How are you?  
JAN: Confused. Do you have time to talk?  
MARLENA: Of course I do, take a seat.  
Jan took a seat across from Marlena.  
MARLENA: So, what would you like to talk about?  
JAN: I met Belle and Shawn. Or, remet them, would be the proper word, I guess. I don't really remember them much from before.  
MARLENA: And how did that go?  
JAN: Not terribly well. I kinda ge the feeling that they're mad at me.  
MARLENA: But, if they are, you don't recall why?  
JAN: No. Dr. Evans, what happened between me, Belle and Shawn?

DIMERA MANSION  
André sat at the chess board. Bart walked in.  
BART: Boss, I know you said that I'd find everything out eventually, but I just gotta know something.  
André moved a pawn forward.  
ANDRE: What is it now, Bart?  
BART: Rolfski was mentioning something about you having another brother. Now, I know Benjy, Tony and E.J. are long gone, and no one's heard from Pete in years. So, who was he talking about? He said the guys name was Chad, or something.  
André smirked.  
ANDRE: All in good time, Bart. All in good time.


	21. Chapter 19

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
It was now the next day. Jan was in Marlena's office.  
MARLENA: I'm sorry that our session ended so abruptly yesterday, but I wanted to wait to explore this when we had a bit more time together.  
JAN: Explore what?  
MARLENA: Your memory. Has any of it come back?  
JAN: Not really. I get these weird flashes of places, but they don't mean anything to me yet.  
MARLENA: I see. That's understandable. I want to see if I can help give your memory a bit of a jumpstart.  
JAN: How?  
MARLENA: Hypnosis.  
JAN: What? Like that thing magicians do to make people act like ducks?  
MARLENA: Not exactly, though a lot of people conflate the two. This is a true form of hypnosis.  
JAN: Okay. Can we start now?  
MARLENA: Certainly. I just feel that there is one thing you should know first, Jan.  
JAN: What?  
MARLENA: The mind is a complex thing. And, although I can understand how frustrating it is not to remember anything about your life from the year 1999 forward, I just want to tell you that some of what we find may be a little...intense. That's why I need you to trust me.  
JAN: I do. Dr. Evans, you're the only person I trust right now.  
MARLENA: Well, let's begin, shall we?

SALEM INN  
Ernan was in the room that he and his daughter shared. He was currently looking over a map. There was a knock at the door. He opened it. Aiden walked in.  
AIDEN: Ernan Whelan, I presume.  
ERNAN: Aye. What's all this about? Who are you?  
AIDEN: I am Aiden Jennings, co-founder of the Law Offices of Jennings and Donovan.  
Aiden handed Ernan an envelope.  
AIDEN: And you've been served.  
Ernan looked from Aiden to the envelope, then back to Aiden.  
ERNAN: What's all this about?  
AIDEN: Just open the envelope, read the papers inside, and you'll find out.  
ERNAN: Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?  
AIDEN: Whatever you're about to say, it would choose your words very carefully.  
ERNAN: Is that so? Well, you and whoever put you up to this, they're going to regret it.  
AIDEN: We shall see. I'll show myself out. Good day.  
Aiden left the room. Ernan opened the envelope and read the legal documents within.  
ERNAN: Bastaird!

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION  
It was a dark landscape. More like a tunnel, really. Chad walked through it. In the time since we last saw him, he had grown a small beard. He walked up and down the tunnel, hoping to see something. Then, he came upon it. A door. An actual door. He must have wandered into a part of the tunnel he hadn't before. He pulled the handle, and opened the door. There was a small room, and two people on the other side of the door. These people are known to us, but not to Chad.  
REX: Are you one of his men?  
CHAD: What?  
CASSIE: It's just, we've been down in this room a long time. Usually, one of his men comes down to see us, and on rare occasions, so does he.  
CHAD: He? He who? Where am I? Who are you?  
CASSIE: I'm Cassie, and this is Rex. As for where we are...  
REX: I'd say several miles below the DiMera Mansion.  
CHAD: I mean, I knew this was the tunnels, but I didn't know he had a secret room down here.  
REX: So, you are one of his men?  
CHAD: What? No, no, I'm brother.  
CASSIE: Brother?  
REX: We didn't know Tony had a brother.  
CHAD: Tony?  
REX: He's our father.  
CASSIE: Well, our adopted father. Tony DiMera.  
CHAD: Tony DiMera?  
REX: Yes. He is our father. Our adopted father.  
CHAD: You guys do know that Tony is dead, right?  
CASSIE: What? When did that happen?  
CHAD: Oh, about seven years ago.  
Cassie chuckled.  
CASSIE: No, he's not. We saw him just a few days ago.  
CHAD: No. I'm sorry to tell you, but that's not Tony.  
REX: It looked like him.  
CHAD: It wasn't, okay? It was André.  
CASSIE: Who?  
CHAD: I don't know the exact story or anything, but from what I've been able to piece together, André is Tony's cousin. At some point, when they were younger, Stefano had André get plastic surgery to look exactly like Tony.  
REX: So, the man who's come down to visit us isn't Tony?  
CHAD: No. Like I said, Tony's dead. He's been dead for years. Anyway, why is he keeping you down here?  
CASSIE: We don't really know. Every time we ask, he evades the question.  
REX: I've been trying to work it out, and even I can't.  
CASSIE: Which is unusual, because Rex is a genius.  
CHAD: And you two haven't tried to get out of here?  
REX: Why would we?  
CHAD: Because you're being held captive by a maniac!  
REX: I mean, we have food, shelter, each other. Everything we could ever want. And, besides, Tony comes down here and visits us every now and then.  
CHAD: What about other people?  
CASSIE: I mean, I do kind of miss seeing other people. But, it's not that bad.  
CHAD: You guys are being kept here as prisoners, and you don't even care? Well, I'm not gonna be André's prisoner any longer. I've already been down in these tunnels for weeks. So, I'm gonna try and find a way out of here. You two joining me?

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
The lights in Marlena's office had dimmed. Jan was lying on the couch. Marlena was sitting in front of her.  
MARLENA: You should be in a hallway with numerous doors. Do you see it?  
JAN: Yes.  
MARLENA: Behind each of those doors are different parts of your memory. In theory, when you open one of the doors, you should gain some memory back. Try opening one of them.  
JAN: I cna't. I tried opening one, but it's locked.  
MARLENA: That's okay. That's normal. It means your mind isn't ready for that memory yet. Try a few of the other doors.  
JAN: I found one. I can open this one.  
MARLENA: Excellent. What do you see?  
JAN: This boy from school. But, we're not in school. We're someplace else. Like...like an island, or something. And it's not cold, but I'm shaking for some reason. And this boy, he gave me his jacket and is holding me. I'm freaking out about something, but I don't know what.  
MARLENA: Do you remember the boys' name, Jan?  
JAN: Shawn.

DIMERA MANSION  
BART: So, Chad's down there right now?  
ANDRE: That's what I said.  
BART: And so are the twins?  
ANDRE: Correct.  
BART: But they don't know...well, of course they don't. I mean, how could they. You were in prsion when they left, and you were still going under Tony's name at the time.  
ANDRE: Is there a question, or are you just going over the facts?  
BART: Right, right. So, do they know who you really are?  
André sighed.  
ANDRE: Of course they don't, Bart. The twins don't even know that Tony's dead. If they did, it would spoil the plan.  
BART: Genius, boss. Genius! But, Mr. D, I gotta ask, what is the plan?  
André smirked.  
ANDRE: You'll find out soon, Bart. Soon enough. The games are only just beginning.  
André picked up a black knight and examined it. He smiled, and put it back down on the board.

SALEM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL  
A short while later, the lights were back on, and Jan was sitting up.  
MARLENA: Well, I think we've made some progress today.  
JAN: That's good. Um, Dr. Evans, what was going on in that memory that I had?  
MARLENA: I can't say for certain. We can explore that more next time, if you'd like.  
JAN: I mean, where was I? And why was I so freaked out? And why was Shawn holding me? I mean, he's already got a perfect little girlfriend.  
MARLENA: All excellent questions. But, I do not understand half of the answers to them. The only one who would know the full story is you. Or, you will, once your memory returns. Now that I've tried to jumpstart your memory, you may start to remember more. If this happens, don't be afraid. I know that can be difficult, as getting sudden random bursts of memory can be unsettling to say the least. Just try to remain calm, and write down what you remember in your journal.  
JAN: Okay. Thanks, Dr. Evans.  
Jan got up and left.

SALEM INN  
Ernan was still looking over the legal documents. Noelle, who had come from school, was working on homework. Hugh walked in.  
HUGH: Afternoon.  
NOELLE: Hi, Uncail Aodh.  
Hugh gave Noelle a hug.  
ERNAN: Nollaig, go to the Brady Pub, please. Your uncail and I have something to discuss. I'll meet you there in a few minutes.  
NOELLE: All right, Daidí.  
Noelle kissed Ernan on the cheek, then left.  
HUGH: You all right, brother?  
ERNAN: What do you think?  
Ernan gestured towards the legal documents.  
HUGH: What's that?  
Ernan got up and picked up his brother by the collar of his shirt.  
ERNAN: You know damn well what that is. Now tell me, what the bloody hell do you mean by this cac?  
HUGH: She's my daughter, Eirnin. I deserve to keep her.  
ERNAN: You were too young! You still are!  
HUGH: No, I'm not. I'm a grown man now, and my daughter deserves to know the truth about who her father is.  
Ernan took his hands off of Hugh.  
HUGH: Look, Eirnin, I appreciate you taking care of her for all this time, but Noelle is my daughter.  
ERNAN: You best watch yourself, boy! Be glad we sleep in separate rooms!  
Ernan walked out of the room.

SALEM HIGH  
The practice for Evita was well underway. A full band had joined now, and the actors were using props. A girl named Nina was standing in the center, as was Chase.  
NINA (singing): Where am I going to?  
CHASE (singing): You'll get by you always have before.  
NINA (singing): Where am I going to?  
Chase handed Nina a suitcase, and put a hand on her shoulder.  
CHASE (singing): Don't ask anymore.  
Nina walked back to her seat. Chase was joined by Jade and Henri, as well as five boys and two girls. Two of the boys and the girls (who were playing aristocrats) walked to the center. Chase walked over to them.  
CHASE (singing): At the watering holes of the well-to-do, I detect a resistance to...  
ARISTROCRAT BOYS & GIRLS (singing): Precisely!  
CHASE (singign): Our heroine's style.  
ARISTOCRAT BOYS & GIRLS (singing): We're glad you noticed!  
CHASE (singing): The shooting sticks of the upper-class...  
ARISTOCRAT BOYS & GIRLS (singing): Give her an inch...  
CHASE (singing): Aren't supporting a single ass that would rise for the girl  
ARISTOCRAT BOYS & GIRLS (singing): She'll take a mile. Such a shame she wandered into our enclosure. How unfortunate this person has forced us to be blunt. No we wouldn't mind seeing her at Harrod's; but behind the jewelry counter, not in front!  
The two boys and girls sat down. Henri and the other three boys (who are playing Peron's officers/advisors) walked up.  
CHASE (singing): Could there be in our fighting corps a lack of enthusiasm for...  
HENRI & OFFICER BOYS: Exactly!  
CHASE: Peron's latest flame?  
HENRI & OFFICER BOYS: You said it brother!  
CHASE: Should you wish to cause great distress in the tidiest officer's mess, just mention her name.  
HENRI & OFFICER BOYS: That isn't funny! Peron is a fool, breaking every taboo! Installing a girl in the army H.Q.! And she's an actress! The last straw! Her only good parts are between her thighs. She should stare at the ceiling, not reach for the skies; or she could be his last whore! The evidence suggests she has other interests. If it's her who's using him, he's exceptionally dim!  
Jade walks up.  
HENRI & OFFICER BOYS: Bitch! Dangerous Jade.  
The other two boys and two girls stood.  
ARISTOCRAT BOYS & GIRLS (singing): We have allowed ourselves to slip...  
Jade put her hands up.  
JADE: Stop! Wait! Stop, stop!  
There was a mass eye roll from all of Jade's fellow students. Even Mrs. Shuler had a hard time keeping her eyes from rolling.  
SHULER: Yes, Miss Michaels?  
JADE: I'm sorry, Mrs. Shuler, but really? "Dangerous Jade"? What are you trying to imply with this?  
SHULER: I'm not implying anything. That is the way the script was written.  
JADE: Well, whoever wrote this has it out for me.  
CLAIRE: It has nothing to do with you, Jade. Evita was written in the 1970s, long before you were born. Anyway, it's not even about the name. Peron's advisors didn't like Eva, and that was how they knew how to make it known at the time.  
JADE: No one asked you, funny face.  
SHULER: Miss Michaels, that will do. Miss Brady's point stands. That is the way it was written. If you really feel that strongly about it, come see me after practice and we can discuss possible alternative wordings.  
JADE: Whatever.  
Jade rolled her eyes and went back to her position.  
ARISTOCRAT BOYS & GIRLS (singing): We have allowed ourselves to slip. We have completely lost our grip. We have declined to an all-time low. Tarts have become the set to know...  
The next day, Joey was walking Jade to her next class.  
JADE: So, I need you to do something for me.  
JOEY: Whatever you want. What is it?  
Jade went into her backpack and pulled out a flash drive.  
JADE: You know Nina, the girl who's putting together the slideshow for the Last Blast?  
JOEY: Yeah, of course.  
JADE: I just saw her in the library. She's still working on the slideshow. I need you to get her out of the room so that you can put the contents of this into her slideshow.  
JOEY: How am I gonna do that?  
JADE: I don't know. You'll think of something.  
JOEY: Okay. So, what's on it?  
JADE: Pictures.  
JOEY: Yeah, I gathered that. Pictures of what?  
JADE: Stuff around school. I mean, I am taking a photography class.  
JOEY: True. But, why do I have to get Nina out of the room? Can't I just give her the flash drive and ask her to put what's on it in the slide show?  
JADE: No, because the deadline for the pictures was last week. The Last Blast is tomorrow night. Nina wouldn't accept the photos now, even if she does have time to put them in.  
JOEY: But...  
JADE: Look, I'm the smart one here. You do what I say. Got it?  
JOEY: Okay, sure.  
JADE: Good. Now go before Nina's done with it.  
JOEY: Okay. I'll see you after class.  
Joey kissed Jade on the cheek.  
JADE: Go!  
Then he walked away. A few minutes later, Ciara and Claire walked down the hall.  
CIARA: I can't wait! I can't believe that the Last Blast is tomorrow night!  
CLAIRE: I know! This is gonna be awesome!  
Claire and Ciara continued talking as they walked down the hall. Jade chuckled to herself.  
JADE (thinking): It will be, for some of us.  
Meanwhile, Joey had gone into the computer lab. Nina was sitting at one of the computers.  
JOEY: Hey.  
Nina jumped slightly.  
JOEY: Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you.  
NINA: That's okay. Hi, Joey.  
JOEY: Hey. Whatcha workin' on?  
NINA: Just putting the finishing touches on the slideshow for the Last Blast Dance.  
JOEY: Cool. Speaking of which, I was just by Principal Quinn's office, and he said he wanted to see you.  
NINA: Oh. Did he say why?  
JOEY: No. But, he wants to see you like right now.  
NINA: I'm still kinda saving my work. It'll take a while. It's a long slideshow.  
JOEY: Hey, I can stay here and watch your slideshow save, if you want.  
NINA: Really? That would be awesome! Thanks, Joey!  
Nina got up and walked away. Joey sat down. He took the flash drive out of his pocket and put it in the computer. After opening up the files, he saw one titled "Slideshow addition". He then found where Nina's slideshow was saving. He pressed cancel, then dragged the file from the flash drive into the end of the slideshow. He then went to save. He hesitated for a moment. The moment passed, and he clicked save. He then quickly took out the flash drive and pocketed it.


	22. Chapter 20

SALEM HIGH  
The gymnasium of Salem High was packed with students, and a handful of adults. The lights were dimming, and Mr. Woods walked up to a microphone on the stage.  
WOODS: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 2016 Last Blast Dance!  
There was a loud eruption of cheers from the students.  
WOODS: We're all gonna have a great time tonight. Please remember to sign up for the dance contest with either myself or Dean Faulkner. The contest begins in one hour. But, it's not about the contest. This night is about you guys. It's a celebration of this amazing year that we have shared here. And so, without further ado, let's dance!  
The students cheered again, as the sounds of David Bowie's "Let's Dance" thumped from the speakers.  
 _Let's dance_  
 _Put on your red shoes and dance the blues_  
 _Let's dance_  
 _To the song they're playin' on the radio_  
 _Let's sway_  
 _While color lights up your face_  
 _Let's sway_  
 _Sway through the crowd to an empty space_  
A large crowd of students got out onto the floor to start dancing. Ciara and Claire were getting some punch.  
CLAIRE: This place is beautiful!  
CIARA: It so is! I'm super excited that we're actually here!  
CLAIRE: Me too!  
CIARA: So, you gonna dance with anyone?  
CLAIRE: I don't know. I might. I'm sure you and Theo will.  
CIARA: Yeah. But, what about you?  
CLAIRE: Who would I dance with? I mean, you've got Theo. Joey has Jade. Henri's dancing with his guy friends.  
CIARA: What about Chase?  
CLAIRE: What about him?  
CIARA: You should dance with him.  
CLAIRE: Really?  
CIARA: Totally!  
CLAIRE: I don't know.  
CIARA: Come on, Claire. I've seen the way you look at him.  
CLAIRE: What way? I don't look at him in any particular way.  
CIARA: Yeah, okay. Sure.  
 _And if you say run_  
 _I'll run with you_  
 _And if you say hide_  
 _We'll hide_  
 _Because my love for you_  
 _Would break my heart in two_  
 _If you should fall into my arms_  
 _And tremble like a flower_  
Jade and Joey were among the couples that were dancing.  
JADE: You did it, right?  
JOEY: Yes, I did it.  
JADE: Good boy. See, I knew I could count on you.  
Jade kissed Joey on the cheek.  
JOEY: What was on that flash drive, anyway?  
JADE: I already told you: pictures. You'll see them later tonight. Now, stop worrying and keep dancing with me.  
 _Let's dance, dance, dance_

DIMERA MANSION  
Andrï¿½ sat at the chess board, looking over all of the pieces. Bart walked in, with Ernan behind him.  
BART: The Irishman is here to see you, boss.  
ANDRE: Thank you, Bart. That will be all.  
Bart walked out of the room. Andrï¿½ looked up and smiled.  
ANDRE: Mr. Whelan, please, take a seat.  
He gestured to the chair on the opposite side of the board.  
ANDRE: Ever play?  
ERNAN: I was never much for chess. Or games in general.  
Andrï¿½ smirked.  
ERNAN: You summoned me here.  
ANDRE: Indeed I did.  
ERNAN: What do you want?  
ANDRE: To inform you of the next phase of the plan.  
ERNAN: Which is?

SALEM HIGH  
 _If you were a bird and you lived very high_  
 _You'd lean on the wind when the breeze came by_  
 _You'd say to the wind as it took you away_  
 _That's where I wanted to go today_ _  
_CLAIRE: I don't.  
CIARA: You so do, though. It's cool. He looks at you the same way, too.  
CLAIRE: Does he?  
CIARA: Yeah. Haven't you noticed?  
CLAIRE: No, not really.  
CIARA: Claire, we're best friends, right?  
CLAIRE: Of course.  
CIARA: And Chase and I are step siblings. We know each other super well. And so do you and I. I'm telling you, as your best friend. Chase likes you. And I know you like him, too, don't you?  
CLAIRE: Yeah.  
CIARA: Then ask him to dance. Look, he's right over there by the bleachers. Go over there and dance with him.  
CLAIRE: Do you think I should?  
CIARA: Yes! Do it!  
Ciara looked over.  
CIARA: Actually, looks like he's coming to you.  
Chase walked over.  
CHASE: Hi, Claire. Ciara.  
CLAIRE: Hi.  
CIARA: Hey, Chase.  
CHASE: You, um, you guys enjoying the dance so far?  
CLAIRE: Yeah. You?  
CHASE: Yeah.  
CIARA: I'm gonna leave you two alone, and see if Theo wants to dance.  
Ciara walked off.  
CHASE: So...  
CLAIRE: So...  
CHASE: You're really good in the practice for Evita. I kinda wish you had gotten the lead role and Jade had been the understudy instead of the other way around.  
CLAIRE: Thanks. You're really good as Che.  
CHASE: Thanks.  
Chase poured himself some punch, took and drink, and then set it down.  
CHASE: So...  
CLAIRE: So...  
CHASE & CLAIRE (in unison): Do you wanna dance?  
 _But I wonder will the sun still see all the people goin' by_  
 _Will the moon still hang in the sky when I die_  
 _When I die, when I die_  
 _When I'm high, when I die, die, die, die, die?_ __

DIMERA MANSION  
André returned his attention to the board.  
ANDRE: You know, it's a shame you don't play. It would do you good. Especially with the metaphor that I'm about to use.  
ERNAN: Just get to the point, matey.  
ANDRE: To the point. I like it.  
He picked up the black knight.  
ANDRE: You see this piece? The black knight?  
ERNAN: Yes. What of it?  
ANDRE: Chess is more than just a game. It's a test of wits. Strategy. To truly be a master of chess, one must know what the most valuable piece on the board is. In this game, this knight is the most valuable piece. In order for the game to be a success...  
ERNAN: The knight must fall.  
ANDRE: Precisely.  
ERNAN: I'll get right on it.  
ANDRE: Promptly.  
Ernan stood up and walked out.

SALEM HIGH  
 _The heat is on, on the street_  
 _Inside your head, on every beat_  
 _And the beat's so loud, deep inside_  
 _The pressure's high, just to stay alive_  
 _'Cause the heat is on_ _  
_Claire and Chase both chuckled nervously.  
CLAIRE: I'd love to.  
CHASE: So would I.  
Chase held out his hand.  
CHASE: May I have this dance?  
Claire grinned, gave Chase her hand, and let him lead her out to the dance floor.  
J.J. and Paige were among the adults chaperoning the dance.  
PAIGE: There they are.  
Paige turned so J.J. could see what she was referring to.  
J.J.: Thanks. Looks like they're just dancing, for the moment.  
PAIGE: You think there's more to it than that?  
J.J.: I don't know. I just don't like that Jade girl. Something about her just gives me a bad feeling.  
PAIGE: Yeah. From what I've seen, I'm not too impressed, either.  
Paige turned her head.  
PAIGE: Look. Your cousin and Chase are dancing.  
J.J. turned to look at Chase and Claire.  
J.J.: Oh, yeah. Good for them.  
PAIGE: They're adorable together.  
J.J.: Not as adorable as you.  
J.J. and Paige kissed.  
THEO: I'm having a nice time tonight.  
CIARA: Yeah?  
THEO: Yeah.  
CIARA: Good. So am I. You're a really great dancer, Theo.  
THEO: Thanks. I'm glad you agreed to come with me.  
CIARA: Of course I did. You've been my best friend since before we could walk. I love you, Theo.  
THEO: I love you too, Ciara.  
CLAIRE: So, Chase?  
CHASE: Yeah?  
CLAIRE: You know that dance contest Mr. Woods mentioned?  
CHASE: Yeah?  
CLAIRE: I was kinda wondering...if maybe you'd like to enter it with me? I mean, just for fun. That's what tonight's all about, having fun.  
CHASE: I'd love to.  
CLAIRE: Cool!  
Claire and Chase walked over to Mr. Woods and put a paper with their names into a hat he was holding.  
WOODS: Good luck, guys.  
They went out onto the dance floor with all the other couples that were there.  
 _The heat is on (flames are burning higher)_  
 _The heat is on (baby can't you feel it)_  
 _Yeah, it's on the street_  
 _The heat is on (i can feel it the fire)_  
 _The heat is on (flames are burning higher)_ _  
_The music stopped. Mr. Woods walked up to the microphone on the stage.  
WOODS: Okay, everybody. We are about to begin the dance contest.  
The crowd cheered.  
WOODS: In just one moment. But first, I have a few reminders to give you. Now remember: no crude or disrespectful dance moves. If you stop dancing for more than a minute, you are out. You will know you are out when you feel a tap on the shoulder. And, the most important rule, have a good time. Now that that's out of the way, are you ready to party?  
Everyone on the dance floor cheered.  
WOODS: All right! Then let the dance contest begin!  
All of the couples got onto the floor as the smooth beats of Prince's 1999 started playing.  
 _I was dreamin' when I wrote this, forgive me if it goes astray_  
 _But when I woke up this mornin', could've sworn it was judgment day_  
 _The sky was all purple, there were people runnin' everywhere_  
 _Tryin' to run from the destruction, you know I didn't even care_ _  
_CLAIRE: I love this song!  
CHASE: Really? I didn't know you were into Prince.  
CLAIRE: Well, he was cool. I was always more of a Bowie fan, but it's sad that they're both gone now.  
CHASE: Yeah. I'm kind of a Bowie guy myself.  
CLAIRE: Awesome!  
The two continued dancing. The chaperones went around the room giving various people taps on the shoulder.  
CLAIRE: I'm having a really great time tonight!  
CHASE: So am I! You're really good at this!  
CLAIRE: No, you're the one that's great.  
CHASE: You are, too.  
CLAIRE: Thanks.  
The competition was going well. They were down to only three couples: Joey and Jade, Chase and Claire, and Ciara and Theo. All three were having a good time, but Jade and Joey seemed to be getting more and more aggressive with each other. Well, mostly Jade. Joey was trying to dance like a normal couple, but Jade was dancing more and more provocatively as the song went on. She began to grind up against Joey. J.J. walked over and tapped Joey on the shoulder. Paige did the same to Jade.  
JADE: Seriously?!  
JOEY: Jade, it's okay. We still have two more years to get it.  
JADE: What exactly did we do wrong? We didn't stop dancing.  
J.J.: No, but it was getting a bit intense out there.  
JADE: Oh, grow up!  
PAIGE: Jade, you do not want to make a scene here. You really don't. Trust me on this.  
Joey put a hand on Jade's shoulder.  
JOEY: Let's just go get some punch and cool off, okay?  
JADE: Whatever.  
Jade stormed over to the punch bowl. Joey followed at a short distance. With them off the floor, there were only two couples left. Chase and Claire and Ciara and Theo. Both were doing exceptionally well.  
JOEY: They're good!  
JADE: We were doing better than them.  
JOEY: Well, obviously the chaperones disagree.  
JADE: Shut up.  
Meanwhile, the two couples were having a wonderful time. For a moment, Chase and Claire fell into a daydream. In their daydream, the song changed to something more romantic.  
 _There's such a sad love_  
 _Deep in your eyes A kind of pale jewel_  
 _Open and closed Within your eyes_  
 _I'll place the sky_  
 _Within your eyes_  
They looked into each other's eyes, getting lost there.  
CLAIRE: Chase...  
CHASE: Claire...I...  
CLAIRE: I think I...  
CHASE & CLAIRE (in unison): Like you.  
Slowly, they stopped dancing. They leaned in and kissed.  
 _As the world falls down, falling_  
 _Falling_  
 _Falling_  
 _Falling in love_ _  
_Claire and Chase were snapped out of their daydream when they felt a tap on the shoulder.  
 _Two thousand zero zero party over, oops out of time_  
 _So tonight I'm gonna party like it's nineteen ninety-nine_  
 _Yeah, nineteen ninety-nine_  
 _Don't you wanna go?_  
 _(Nineteen ninety-nine)_  
 _Don't you wanna go?_  
 _(Nineteen ninety-nine)_ _  
_Neither of them could take their eyes off of each other as they walked over to get some punch. As the song finished, they noticed that only one couple was left on the floor. Dean Faulkner walked up to the stage.  
FAULKNER: All right, ladies and gentlemen. We have our winner. The winners of the 2016 Last Blast Dance competition are: Ciara Brady and Theo Carver!  
Everyone cheered as Ciara and Theo went up to get their trophy. Everyone except Jade. The whole crowd watched as Ciara and Theo walked up to the stage.  
JADE (thinking): They won't be laughing soon.  
She smirked. Joey noticed.  
JOEY (whispering): Hey, they deserve it. They were better than anyone else.  
Jade nodded.  
JADE (thinking): And soon enough, someone else will be getting exactly what they deserve.  
Theo and Ciara received their trophy from Dean Faulkner. They stepped up to the microphone.  
THEO: Thank you so much, everybody.  
CIARA: This trophy is for all of us. The entire class of Salem High. This is for everybody who was out there with us on that dance floor. You guys are amazing!  
THEO: Thank you all for making this a truly great Last Blast Dance.  
Everyone clapped. Mr. Woods went up to the microphone.  
WOODS: Let's give one more big hand for Ciara Brady and Theo Carver, everybody.  
More claps and cheers from the audience.  
CLAIRE: Go Ciara and Theo!  
CHASE: Woo!  
As Theo and Ciara walked down from the stage, people turned their attention to the wall, where a bunch of pictures had been playing alongside the music. Pictures of various students and faculty doing various things throughout the school year. However, the projector was showing a very different picture now. In fact, it was showing a video. The video was of Claire, and it left very little to the imagination. The video had obviously been taken from a hidden camera in the girls shower room after gym one day, as it showed Claire showering off.  
CIARA (whispering): Oh god...  
A comment flashed up on the screen: "I hate you". More comments followed: "You're stupid", "Stop that horrible screeching!", "You call that singing? A dying cat sounds better", "Quit polluting the internet with your caterwauling", "Kill yourself", and these were the nice ones. There were several too graphic to type out. Everyone stood in shock, no one moreso than Claire. Her face trembled as she watched her body showering and read the various texts overlaid on the screen. For a moment, she was frozen where she stood. But after that moment passed, she bolted out the door as fast as she could.  
JOEY (thinking): What have I done?  
J.J. (whispering): Someone needs to put a stop to this.  
Paige nodded. Everyone continued to watch in horror. Everyone except Jade, who had the biggest grin on her face. Very quietly, she walked out of the gymnasium. Joey turned and saw her heading out. He followed her. Once in the hallway, Jade began laughing. Joey came up behind her.  
JOEY: Hey!  
Joey grabbed Jade by the hand. She looked up at his face. She had never seen Joey's face make such an expression like the one it had now. She tried to stop laughing.  
JADE: What?  
JOEY: What the hell was that?!  
Chase walked outside. He looked around. He didn't have to look very far to find what he was looking for. Claire was standing by a stop sign. She was crying.  
CHASE: Claire?  
Chase walked over to her.  
CHASE: Claire, it's me. It's Chase.  
Claire turned around and put her head on Chase's shoulder as she cried even harder. Chase wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.


End file.
